ã€ŠDemon King 101ã€‹


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 Prologue: A farewell to the old world

    I once heard this saying: ¡°The fate of everyone were determined since birth.¡±. That roughly means you were born for a reason, andlive forthat reason. What is called ¡°The freedom of choice¡± is nothing more than an illusion fate itself created to hide the truth of our world: Humans are nothing but mere puppets in the hands of destiny.

    Heh, that sounds a bit edgy, isn¡¯t it? I know. If I ever have the chance to meet the one who made such belief, I probably would punch him in the face.

    I am, by no means, a special snowflake to speak of grandiose nonsensical buzzwords, but I still believe the ability to change our own fate is what keeps humans from falling to the weight of our existence. What happened tohumanity are not the result of fate, but rather from the choices they made. Karma, of sort. It¡¯s simple: You reap what you sow; Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, like the old saying goes.

    Some may wonder why am I spouting philosophical gibberish in my head. Well, fate and destiny seem to be a relevant answer to think about when you got beamed up from your comfy chair in your house¡¯s library by an unknown light from the sky.

    I don¡¯t believe I had ever done anything wrong to make karma send a beam of light down on me. If not, I won''t have to make time to think about all these nonsensical pretentious philosopical bullshit. Whoever did this to me must have a very twisted sense of humor.

    The feeling of being beamed away isn¡¯t exactly pleasant if I must say. Still, by the time it ends, I feel no loss of limbs or inner organs, and hey, no out-of-world-transportation sickness, so that¡¯s a plus! Won''t make a good first impression if I make a mess on the ground!

    My attempt to think positive thoughts fails the moment the beam of light fades away. The first noticeable thing I see is the sky above. A grayish but beautiful sky, not too different from the one I used to see on a cloudy day. This isn¡¯t that bad...is my thought too until I get my body up and start to look around.

    In front of my eyes stand a bunch of people, both male and female, mostly youths, in black garbs like a cult. Some of them look humanlike. The others? Not so much. They are like magical people straight out of a teenage fantasy book written on the internet byunemployed youth with too much free time. Not only that, there arealso a bunch of magical beasts you can only see in fantasy movies standing nearby. I can¡¯t use any words to describe them, the best I could do is describing this experience as ¡°otherworldly¡±...or "nonsensical".

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    Normally I would consider this a dream, if not for the fact that my dreams usually aren¡¯t this delusional. I¡¯m already past my ¡°Eighth-grader syndrome¡± phase, goddamnit!

    The moment I turn my head to look around, the strange people begin to give me looks that scream ¡°Oh my holy God in Heaven, the wretched Satan is here!¡±. That¡¯s not nice, you know. In this situation, it¡¯s me who should give you people that look. And Satan only killed ten people or so according to the Bible.

    "Are you...human?"

    I hear a voicefrom behind my back. In that direction lies a lone girl. A beautiful girl with red eyes and equally long hair with the same color. She is wearing a white plain shirt tied at the neck by ablack string cravat and a foot length long simple black skirt. She is crouching with one of her knee touching the ground, her hands set on what would seem to be a magic circle you can find in movies about cultists, or anime, whatever. Now that I actually look at it, it seems like I''m currently standing on topof the center of that circle, like some sort of sacrificial lamb. Or rather, after putting one thing and another into thought, I come to the conclusion that I got summoned here from my own world, by this young, beautiful lady near me.

    Karma! It¡¯s all karma¡¯s fault!

    "Good day to you, too."

    I utter my last words to that beautiful girl assomeone strikes mein the back of my head, which of course causes me to fall down to the ground. My eyes become heavy and thus, I give in and let myself fall unconscious.

 Chapter 1: A welcome from the new world

    The last thing I remember is the face of that beautiful girl, before the sky turns upside down as pain sparks across my back.

    By the time I wake up, the only thing awaiting my first gaze is the cold and lonely stone ceiling above. I am currently lying on a bed, a pretty comfy one, though obviously not as comfy as the modern bed I used to have. Seeing no reason to stay in bed, I get up and look around to assess my situation. It seems that I am confined in a room made from stones, which comes with a set of a wooden table, chair, bed and... that¡¯s it. No decorations, no carpets, no anything, not even some snacks. Maybe except a window. A very plain room, like the room of a medieval house servant, the ones that don''t have to sleep in thehaystacks.

    I walk up and open the room''s wooden windows. A cool breeze flows inside the room. The sky above is dark, though not pitch black as the clouds'' absence provides the moon a brief window to shine. It¡¯s a full moon tonight, but since I¡¯m not a werewolf for obvious reasons, I can¡¯t transform to escape through this window. AsI put my head out of the window for a look around, all I can see is the distance downward from this room to the ground, which is about thirty meters. Unless I can grow wings, make wings like Icarus and his dad did, or be an actual werewolf; jumping out from here to escape is not an option, unless I want to be a remembered as a new type of French pat¨¦.

    I look behind my back. There stands a wooden door in front of my eyes. At least this room is not a prison cell from the look of it ¨C I tell myself to relief my fear. After giving it a thought, I walk to the door and try some pushing to see if it is locked or not. Unexpectedly, it isn''t. I can push it and easily walk out, if not for the fact that there stands a guy in full set of iron armor guarding near the door, all while holding an iron spear in his hand and is leering at me through hisvisorthe moment I open that door. Before he can utter any words, I quickly close the wooden door and walk back to my bed, slowly.

    Seems like for now, there is no escaping.

    I sigh in disappointment. First I was magically kidnapped, now I¡¯m imprisoned in a ¡°Guest Room¡±. What¡¯s next? They¡¯ll tell me I¡¯m the prince of some lost magical kingdom or some other shit?

    "Jeez¡­¡±

    I lie on my back down the bed the moment fatigue hit my body. The wound behind my nape seems to have healed like it has never been there from the start. Considering my magical transportation, a healed wound is the least of my problems. Fatigue and hunger, however, are the most urgent problems that I must solve right now, and I can onlytemporarily postponing them bytaking a brief rest.

    Thirty more minutes of napping passes. I try to think random thoughts as a way to kill time, like imagining scenarios of what or why all of this happened to me, but the more I think about them, the more confused it becomes. Within that span of time, I also check my body for any anomalies. After some quick examining, I find no notable problem so far, but my personal belongings have all disappeared. That sucks, though it is to be expected. You can¡¯t have your prisoners hold things that may aid in their escape.

    "Good work, soldier."

    There comes a voice outside of the door, which means someone is approaching. I immediately get off the bed and stand up defiantly. The door is open, and a person walks into the room. A woman wearing a long black robe outside along with a fancy yet simple inner dark blue dress. She''s also wearing a stereotypical black wizard cone hat on her head, below it lies herlong grey hair flown down to the end of her back. In her right hand is a wooden magic staff, decorated with a red crystal at its top. The women is a beautiful one, not unlike that red girl before, buther beauty had seen better days. There are some wrinkles hidden underneath that face of beauty, giving her an elderly aura of a young grandmother, one that belongs to someone supposedly older than her mortal looks.

    "How do you feel, young man?"

    The grey women speaks, her tone is dignified yet I feel a bit of snide hidden within.

    "Pretty well, actually. I¡¯ve always expected a kidnapping could be much worse." - I answer with a cheery smile. - ¡°So, how much is the ransom? My family is a bit stinky with money, so please make it cheap.¡±

    The woman let out a silent chuckle.

    "You¡¯re amusing, for a human."

    "A human?"

    Well yes, I am indeed a human in flesh and bones, in case someone¡¯s wondering, but it¡¯s not like I would instantly admit I am a human in front of someone asking whether or not I am a human, that usually won¡¯t end well. Would you admit to a thief you have a bag full of gold coins when he asks you about your wealth?

    "That girl summoned a strange one indeed.¡± ¨C The elder woman mumbles ¨C ¡°You may come in, cadet Draconis."

    The grey woman turns around and faces the slowly opening door. From there, the red girl I sawduringmy arrival shyly walks in like a fair maiden awaiting to face the big bad wolf. She still wears the same clothes she has back then, which consists of a black cloak that comes with a hood and a strange armband, along with a white and rather plain shirt, and a black, simple long skirt which ends just a few centimeters above her ankles. The girl awkwardly knits her hands as she speaks to the older woman.

    "You summoned me, Headmaster Erramun?"

    "Indeed, young girl. You know why I called you here, yes?"

    The headmaster called Erramun answers.

    "Yes¡­Headmaster. It¡¯s to evaluate my¡­familiar."

    The girl nods and fall silent once gain. Not exactly a sociable person, I see.

    "Then let us begin studying this..."strange" little creature you summoned, together."

    Calling a person a creature is rude, you know? Though technically, humans are indeed living creatures or animals. Not that I would bother to call her out on that. Now that I know this place isn''t the same as my world, I should be more careful about what I say. Their defination of "creatures" can be different from mine, the same applied to what they may call "human".

    "Well then."

    Says the woman before she turns back to me and continues her questioning.

    "Young man, who are you? Where did you come from? Was it the Heaven Realm?"

    After the woman finishes asking her question, I sigh as an act of defiance.

    "I believe it is I who deserve some answers first, not you. Who are you? And that girl too? And what exactly is this place...no, what exactly is this world?"

    "You don¡¯t have the right to ask, familiar."

    The woman sternly barks back.

    "Then I guess you won''t mind if I keep my right of silence."

    Oddly enough, the woman gives out a smirk after my answer, all while the girl behind her is still making herself comfortable as a mere spectator and decoration for our heated conversation.

    "Hmm. Okay then, I will compromise for the time being. You may ask a few questions, but I expect some honest answers in return. Do we have a deal?"

    I nod while trying to conceal my surprise. Isn¡¯t this a bit too easy for her to give out information like that? Though I guess it¡¯s just simply information trading, with what she knows for what I know, and compromising is probably the easiest way to make me open my mouth. I guess that works best for this situation. But well, time for some of my own questions.

    "What is this place? And what is this world? This certainly isn¡¯t the world I know for most of my life."

    "This world was named Airumel by our ancestors. About this place, you¡¯re currently inside Melas Castle, which is known by another name as Melas Military Academy. My name is Nilrem Erramun, the Headmaster of this academy."

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    "Military¡­Academy?"

    I mutter. That would make that girl over there a student, along with those people who were there when I got summoned to this place. Heh, to think that I was called across dimensions to a school of all place¡­From one school to another, this isn''t your typical school transfering, I see.

    "This castle is used to teach young demons useful resources, namely fighting techniques and magics, all for the purpose of making fine warriors to serve Demon Realm in its war against our enemy, the Heaven Realm."

    Now this is something you don¡¯t hear every day.

    "And let me guess, I was summoned here during one of your so called classes?"

    After Ifinish my sentence, I give a glance at the girl with long red hair. She freaks out for a bit when our eyes meet. A shy girl, perhaps?

    "Yes, indeed. You were summoned here during a Summoning Class, which was attended by cadets from our Magic Arts Department. They were attempting to summon their own personal familiar during that period. And you just happened to be summoned by cadet Deborah Draconis here."

    "I see. It seems like I owe you a gratitude, Master Deborah. It¡¯s not like everyday I got kidnapped to a faraway world and then thrown into a stone prison before being forced into nonconsensual slavery. I appreciate the hospitality, really."

    "Just¡­think positive for a bit? At least they didn¡¯t chain you nor put you in a collar, right?"

    The girl named Deborah suddenly utters a snide comeback to my statement, contrasting her shy girl appearance ever since our first meeting.

    "Now now."

    Nilrem lightly taps the ground with her staff as a reminder for the two of us to behave ourselves.

    "Whether you end up in chains or not depends on your answers, young man. If you¡¯re satisfied with these, then I believe it¡¯s time for you to keep your end of the bargain."

    I stand in silence after hearing what the woman just said. Nilrem takes that as a yes on her own and proceeds to ask me her earlier questions.

    "Who are you? Where did you come from? Was it the Heaven Realm?"

    "I know no Heaven Realm. I come from a world far far away from here called Earth, from a place called Japan. I am a student and future heir of a large zaibatsu."

    "Zai...batsu?"

    "A large economic corporation, or a big and rich company, in layman¡¯s term. Let¡¯s just say I am a rich man, or would be in the future, anyway."

    It¡¯s not like every family have their own library in their house, right? Most would say they have a reading room, not a library unless they¡¯re figuratively speaking. Well, the one I have is a literal library in a house, or should I say a mansion, a manor, or whatever words I should use to describe our too fancy of a house.

    "A rich man, heh? Do you think your status and assets would help you here?"

    "I¡¯m not that optimistic."

    And only a rich fool would think they have any power in a strange world, anyway. A fish¡¯s dominion is the sea, and a monkey is the trees. Can¡¯t ask a monkey to claim its dominion in the sea, right?

    "What about your name? Do you have a name?"

    ¡°Name? Right, name¡­¡±

    Since this place is a fantasy world, it wouldn¡¯t hurt if I use a fake name, right? I¡¯m not too fond of my own name anyway. If this is an old school RPG, this is the part where the player has to input their name into the system. If so, then I will choose...

    "Akuma. The name is Akuma. Just call me by that name."

    That sounds like a name an eight-grader would come up with, but hey, it¡¯s not like they know about it.

    "That name sounds strange, and weird, for some reason. Is it truly your name?"

    The headmaster voices her thoughts. The girl in the back seems to agree with her opinion with a silent nod and a gaze of disbelief. To think they would actually think it¡¯s strange despite being the residents of a fantasy world¡­But well, they told me to answer their questions, the deal, however, doesn¡¯t involve I must say a hundred percent truth.

    "Akuma, right? Do you have a last name?"

    "I don¡¯t have a last name. Just call me Akuma."

    That¡¯s a lie, of course. It¡¯s simply because I can¡¯t think of any good last name so I must roll with the one name basis for now.

    "You¡¯re a rich man, yet you don¡¯t have a last name, which even our lowly peasants possess? Are you lying to me, familiar?"

    Well, busted.

    "Our standard isn''t exactly your standard."

    Nilrem looks deep into my eyes, it¡¯s like she¡¯s trying to check the credibility of my words using an inner lie detector inside her head. Well, she looks like she a mage who can use some magic, it won¡¯t be strange if she can take out some truth from my head with her staff, or actually do all of that from the start and save me the trouble of dealing with them.

    "Hmm. I will let it slide this time. Let¡¯s hope your name is the only thing with ambiguity among the words you just said."

    Phew just dodge a bullet there.

    "Akuma. Are you¡­human?"

    This time, the girl in the back ¨C I think she¡¯s named Deborah ¨C decides to take her turn for questioning.

    "Why do you think I am a human?"

    "Because you look like one?"

    The girl answers. Well, she has a point, but I too have mine.

    "You too look awfully human despite being from the Demon Realm."

    "So you¡¯re saying you¡¯re not human?"

    Nilrem resumes her role to help Deborah in her questioning.

    "Maybe, maybe not. How can I know if your definition of a human actually fits me? Maybe I just simply happen to look like your human. It¡¯s not like I can bring proof from my world to say that I am not a human. By that same logic, I can accuse you for being human as well."

    "Nice joke, Akuma. But youranswer don''t humour me." ¨C Says the girl with red hair at her glare getting more intense. almost filled with bloodlust. ¨C ¡°Why would you have to defend yourself so much, unless you¡¯re human?¡±

    "Then what would happen if I admit being a human? Would you kill me, even when you have no proof to indicate that I am actually a human of your world? Would you actually take that chance, knowing you people summoned a being beyond your knowledge? If that satisfy you, then do it, release me from this place with death."

    Now I¡¯m just ranting in order to keep my head attached to my neck. Let¡¯s hope they buy this, because truly I don¡¯t want to die a meaningless death, really.

    Unexpectedly, the Headmaster closes her eyes as she gives my circumstance a thought. After three seconds or so, she stirs her staff with a subtle smile on her lips before replying

    "I have heard enough. Your verdict will arrive after midnight."

    Before I canoffer more for our conversation, Nilrem turns her back to me and talks to Deborah.

    "It seems you just summoned a hassle for a familiar, cadet Draconis."

    The girl with red hair silently bites her lips, unable to answer. They both walk out of the room. Before she leaves, Deborah gives me a look filled with complexity, or it¡¯s just simply her ¡°I hate you¡± look. When both of them leave the room, silence returns to the place once more, and I can¡¯t do anything but look at the ceiling again while waiting for my yet to arrive ultimate verdict.

    ¡°Jeez. So tiring.¡±

    It¡¯s always hard dealing with women, not to mention two of them, at the same time. But¡­oh well. I don¡¯t want to tire myself anymore.

    Tonight¡¯s going to be a long night.

 Chapter 2: An introduction to a new life

    "So in summary,starting today, this...familiar will join our class A-1 as a student. You may introduce yourself, cadet."

    As instructed by the bald teacher, I step up in the front of the class for a small introduction.

    "Good morning everyone. I am Akuma, and from today onwards, a classmate of yours, whether you like it or not. Please take good care of me for the following years. Thank you."

    Not a very good way to introduce myself, if I must say, though it¡¯s not like I¡¯m an expert on self-presentation to begin with. It can''t be helped.

    Now, time to backtrack a bit to explain why I¡¯m going to experience another school life in this new world¡­

    The promised verdict did not arrive that night. Rather, I was invited to receive it myself at the Headmaster¡¯s office. That being said, for now, I would prefer to leave the details of what happened there for another time. It would be too much information to handle with the limited time pool we have.

    On the plus side, I got back my personal belongings, which is good, very, very good.

    The ¡°short¡± conclusion from my verdict was that I can stay at this academy and allowed to join classes, at least for the time being. The Headmaster was kind enough to pay my first-year tuition fee in order for me to stay. That being said, that women expected me to return the fund someday, which made her ¡°kind gift¡± a blatant student loan without my consent. But that¡¯s fair enough. I don''t expect things would be all fun and rainbow for me from the start anyway.

    The class I got appointed to is named A-1. There are about thirty students or so in this classroom. Some of them look human enough in my world''s standard. The most human-like are the people who wear the same wizard hat as the Headmaster. Take off their weird cone hats and all of them can pass off as normal humans. After them are a bunch of humanoid people with a piece of crystal located in the middle of their forehead; the color isn¡¯t always the same from one to another. The remaining others range from some brutish orc-likecreatures and some elf-like people but with blue skin and eyes with black sclera. It seems their official uniform is the same type of black cloak I saw Deborah wore last night, and that¡¯s just it. Under the cloak, the students wear whatever they see fit, and proper, of course. I, myself, is also wearing one of those black cloaks as of now, with the inside being the same white shirt and simple black trouser that were my old school uniform. I see that I have no problem with looks, as there are others with black hair and eyes like mine in this room, so I guess the racial thingy also isn''t a problem. The glasses on my face, however, can be another story. Let just hope they''d ignore the strange cosmetic decoration on my face, I can¡¯t help it when my eyes aren¡¯t good as they used to be.

    "Since when did we allow familiars to join our school, Mr.Lodbrok ?"

    A random nondescript student with no future role asks.

    "There are no rules that said familiars can¡¯t join our school and study, provide they have the capabilities to learn and fight and pay the tuition fee! As long as they¡¯re not wanted criminals or the Demon Realm¡¯s enemy, we¡¯ll accept everyone! Did you get that right, maggots?"

    Most of the whole class answer with a big Yes.

    The man who just spoke like a clich¨¦ drill sergeant is this class¡¯s homeroom teacher, Bjarni Lodbrok. A brutish, muscular man with a voice as equally brutish as his looks. He¡¯s wearing a medieval fantasy equivalent of a jumpsuit; I never know that is even possible. The guy has a bald head, but he has a mighty brown beard to compensate for the curse of old men in their fifties. In the middle of his forehead lies an embed brown crystal, making it pretty noticeable and can pass off as some kind of jewelry. If I have to sum the guy up into one sentence, I would say he¡¯s like a bald Z*ngief acting as a teacher rather than wrestling bears.

    "Even though I am indeed a familiar, please treat me like a normal person and as your classmate. I would appreciate that kindness, really."

    Most of the class look at me in confusion. However, there are some exceptions with curiosity in their eyes instead, along with those who don¡¯t care enough whether they have a new classmate or not. At least there is no one who look at me with malice in their eyes...yet, which is nice.

    Wait, scrap that. The girl who is supposedly my Master has started to give me that look. Deborah Draconis, the girl, sitting at the farthest corner of the class with the big ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± face.

    "Okay, new meat, you may sit at the empty chair in the classroom''s corner."

    I give the brutish man a thank before proceeding to walk to my appointed seat, which is near a window. I have a clear view outside at this seat, though it''s mostly the natural scenery that I can see. Most of the view is a gray valley among the mountains with no sign of life. Maybe it¡¯ll become interesting eventually?

    The moment I sit down, my eyes match Deborah¡¯s sharp gaze. She gives up first before we can make it a staring contest, though. Seems like she isn¡¯t very happy with my appearance in this class. What did I do to make her hate me so much? I don¡¯t remember offending her or anything, aside from breathing the same air in her world.

    Well, no matter.

    The homeroom teacher begins his class after I finish making myself comfortable. This period is probably homeroom because none of the students here even bother to look at their textbooks. All Mr.Lodbrok does is ranting about preparation for the upcoming finals and some maggots this, maggots that. After his period comes the free study session, which should be aptly named ¡°Do what you want to do¡± period. And after that is, finally, lunch break. Time flies fast, to the point I can¡¯t barely remember anything I learned today.

    The moment the school¡¯s bell finishes tolling, Deborah suddenly comes to my desk, grabs me by my shirt''s collar and drags me out of the classroom like a cheap ragdoll. It¡¯s hard to keep up with this girl since she walks so damn fast, being grabbed by the collar probably helped. Deborah only stops when we arrive at an empty hallway with no passerby in sight. Only then does she release her hand off my collar.

    "You could''ve asked me to walk."

    I let out a voice. It goes over her head, though, because she doesn¡¯t seem to care about what I have to say, only what she herself have to say. Typical women.

    "She must have said something about that to you last night, right?"

    "That?"

    I nonchalantly replies.

    "You know what I am talking about, familiar! About how I can send you back to your own world at a moment¡¯s notice!"

    "Oh, that. Right, that she did."

    The Headmaster did say something about that, about how a Master can send their familiar back to their own dimension with a spell, provide the familiar gives the Master its consent.

    "Did you get mad at me because she didn''t call you to do the job?"

    Deborah doesn''treply and avert her eyes in wait for a comeback. I must have hit the bullseye with that response.

    "I stay here by my own choice. She didn¡¯t force me or anything."

    That¡¯s what I tell her, and it is the truth. It¡¯s not like everyday you get called to another world, right? Especially a fantasy world that exists in people''s wildest dreams. The moment my safety is assured, I didn¡¯t hesitate to accept becoming one of this academy¡¯s student. If my return ticket is always available then why the hell not? Only a fool would let this chance pass by!

    "Don¡¯t you have a family back home waiting for you ?"

    Asks Deborah. Her red eyes look sad, despitethe fiery spirit earlier still remains within them.

    "It¡¯s not like they¡¯ll die if I happen to be missing for a week or two. Though I would rather call that a house than a home."

    "You..."

    She seems to have an urge to get mad. Yes, I know that feelings too, people around me want to do that all the time. She''s not the first and certainly won''t be the last.

    "Are you really, really sure about staying here? Like, really?"

    "I don¡¯t do things half-assed."

    That is one of the few things I can pride myself with. A personal creed that I live by.

    Deborah then gives out a long sigh. Looks like she gives up trying to make me leave her world...with my consent, of course.

    "The gods must hate me so much to give me such a good-for-nothing familiar."

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    "Then you¡¯ll accept me as your familiar?"

    "Do you think I have a choice?"

    Deborah snaps back. Heh, like I care. It¡¯s not like I want to be her familiar, but if being her familiar is the only way to stay in this world then I¡¯ll bear with it. If she wants me to be a good boy, maybe I''ll play that role until I get tired from it.

    "I have always wondered...Do you know how I can speak your language? And very fluent at that?"

    That question''s still wandering around my head the moment our little conversation yesterday ended. It¡¯s not like they can speak Japanese, right? And I¡¯m sure I have yet to take an out-of-world-language-for-dummies class.

    "It¡¯s part of the pact between a master and a familiar. The familiar receives a part of the master¡¯s knowledge when summoned, including mastery of language for easier communication. The reverse is also true, the master can gain some info from their familiar, too."

    "That explains it."

    What a wonderful thing magic is, it can explain everything. Just tell it''s the work of magic and the explanation is done.

    "No, it¡¯s not! It seems like you can talk our language, and maybe even be able to use magic. Yet why can¡¯t I get anything out of you? Was the pact broken?"

    Deborah begins to get lost in her thought, and so do I. The moment she said the word magic, it¡¯s like a wake-up call for the child inside my mind. I have always wanted to be a wizard, of the ¡°throw fireballs from your hand¡± variety and the magic keyword has awaken that hidden desire of mine.

    "You just said something about magic, right? Do you think I can use magic?"

    "Hmm. Say, do you have some knowledge of magic? Our magic, to be specific?"

    I feel like I do know some, though I can¡¯t put it into proper words. It¡¯s like what she just said, I¡¯ve inherited some knowledge from her, namely their language and maybe some tips of magic. But while the language part came to me pretty naturally, the magic part, however, didn''t. Somehow, I know it was there, but I need some kind of trigger to wake it up. It¡¯s like having a book in your possession, yet you don¡¯t know about its content beside the obvious title on the front cover.

    "Somewhat..."

    "Your answer doesn¡¯t sound very convincing, you know."

    Deborah¡¯s frowning face makes her words much more painful for me to hear.

    "Anyway, just get to the point. Let¡¯s leave the deeper stuff for later and focus on whether or not I can throw fireballs from my hand!"

    I may get too excited back there as Ienthusiastically reply Deborah.

    "Easy now...you''re so pushy."

    Deborah then gives out another sigh. She seems to be fond of sighing. Must be a new hobby of hers caused by my recent existence in her live. I totally understand that, I would be like her if I summon myself as my familiar as well.

    "Let me gauge your soul energy first. After that, we¡¯ll see. "

    "Soul energy? What is that?"

    Some kind of Mana?

    "If you don¡¯t know what that is then please, give up your hope to become a Mage or anything else!"

    If that¡¯s another name for Mana Point, then spare me your lengthy lecture, and please, stop complicating simple terms any further!

    Back to the situation at hand, in order to gauge my Soul-whatever, Deborah starts to put her hands on both of my temples. Then, she closes her eyes and chants some sort of spell with her pink lips.

    Due to how our conversation ended that day, accompanied by the darkness of that night, combined with my own fatigue, I failed to notice that Deborah is rather tall for a girl if we¡¯re using the girls back in my country as standard. That girl is even taller than me with a few centimeters difference. From my eyes, her approximated height would be about one meter and eighty-two centimeters (which makes her a full six-foot-tall girl, in imperial unit). Way taller than our girls'' standard height. Maybe this is just normal height for girls in this world, or this girl is just that special?

    Still, it¡¯s always hurt to stand next to a girl who is taller than you.

    The moment my random thought process ends is also the time Deborah opens her eyes and gets her hands off me, with a rather surprised look on her face.

    "This can¡¯t be..."

    That could be a good sign. From the beginning of my journey, things have been laid out like how a fantasy book usually goes, though not in a good way. So if I want to be clich¨¦, I think this is the part where I get to know the extent of my powerful power, then I¡¯ll go adventuring all over the world, saving countries here and there, snatching a few cute girls on the way and have a happy ending. Yeah, let¡¯s hope it would go like that.

    "Is my Mana...err...I mean soul energy that incredible? It¡¯s surprisingly high and strong?"

    Please give me the right cue, please please.

    "No...it¡¯s the opposite, actually. It¡¯s surprisingly low...and weak."

    "Well, shit."

    There goes my hope out the window...

    I know a world full of fun and rainbow doesn¡¯t exist. But I believe I deserve some merits or abilities for my trouble up until now, right? How else can I enjoy this wondrous adventure if I¡¯m just your ordinary puny human?

    "I was wrong about you. I think I owe you an apology. You¡¯re not human, indeed, after all, a human being can¡¯t be this weak. Does it take skills, harsh training or is it a natural born talent? My guess is you must have worked hard to be this magically inept."

    I can see her smile beginning to look like that of an evil smirk. Now she¡¯s just twisting the knife further.

    "You really know how to motivate a guy¡¯s feeling down..."

    "Really? Maybe I should take a class to improve my motivating ability, then. "

    Deborah smirks, contrasting her sad girl appearance from the start of our first meeting.

    "Anyway, does that mean I can¡¯t use magic after all?"

    I don¡¯t think that would be the case, though.

    "No. You can, though your magic spells won¡¯t be as strong as it should be. But¡­if you work hard enough, maybe you can become an average mage like a normal peasant could do in his sleep."

    Please stop rubbing salt on my inner wound!

    Fate is indeed a cruel concept. Rather than taking all of my magical ability and make me a complete Muggle, it just have to leave some behind then watch me anguish over my incompetence.

    Gotta think positive, right right, Akuma, you got to think positive. Let¡¯s just say I have a handicap. Haha, am I too awesome to the point they have to put me in chains to seal my power?

    "..."

    Now I¡¯m just being pathetic.

    I gives out a sigh while Deborah looks at me with pity in her eyes.

    "Now now. Don¡¯t feel down just yet. The farming fields are always in need of manpower. Rather than your brain, you could put your muscles to work! It''s too soon to give up!"

    "Now you''re just being cruel."

    "Necessary evil to wipe away your smug know-it-all smile off your face."

    The girl suddenly becomes so happy, it¡¯s like her brooding and awkward face back then doesn¡¯t exist anymore. Why would she need to be so happy over this revelation? About how her familiar, something that could help her tasks, is powerless and magically inept? Isn''t that strange? Normally, you would prefer your underling to be powerful, and yet...she takes this news in stride and is rather happy about it. This only makes this strange girl even stranger.

    "Are you hungry yet? The lunch break doesn''t last all day, you know? Come with me to the cafeteria, let¡¯s have lunch there. Maybe filling your stomach would make you feel better."

    Right, I forgot I haven¡¯t eaten anything since yesterday. The excitement from traveling to another world keeps my hunger temporarily tamed, but when I hear the bad news from Deborah, it just has to rise once again to give more sufferings to my life.

    "Don¡¯t feel sad just yet.I know you''re not completely hopeless. We¡¯ll come up with a solution later. Now come, my friends are waiting for me."

    Deborah walks in front of me before looking back and asks me to go with her. For some reason, I find her rather cute at that moment, and let¡¯s leave it at that.

    But she¡¯s right, feeling down right now is not productive. Maybe I¡¯ll think of something when I have a feast to fill my stomach.

    As I look at Deborah who¡¯s humming a strange song while walking happily, a thought suddenly crossed through my head.

    "A strange girl indeed."

 Chapter 3: A ruckus at the crowded cafeteria

    The cafeteria isn¡¯t exactly packed with people, but the amount of students taking their leisure time having lunch is hardly scarce. This room is rather large, like a castle¡¯s dining room you see in medieval movies, but it¡¯s not too big to make you feel irrelevant, mostly likely the size of a dining room for castle servants. Most of the cafeteria are made of stones, and of course, they use wooden chairs and tables as furniture. If I haven¡¯t been told about this cafeteria firsthand, I would have mistaken this place for an adventurer¡¯s bar or something. As expected from a medieval castle in another world.

    Deborah tells me to get something to eat while she goes to look for her friends. She also says I shouldn¡¯t worry about the money problem due to the lunch money are included in the tuition fee. Nice, I hope my unconsensual student loan is worth their penny.

    Despite our late arrival, it doesn¡¯t take longer than two or three minutes until the waiting line at the food counter gets thinner, and my turn for a chow arrives.

    "Good afternoon, cadet. What food caught your fancy?"

    Waiting for me behind the food counter is, of course, your ordinary cafeteria lady you can find in cafeterias all over the world...if she happens to lose a bunch of fat, maybe some flesh and organs along with skins, and all that remains is a skeleton that is somehow able to walk and talk and do whatever cafeteria ladies do, but only spookier.

    I guess this is just that kind of place¡­

    "What¡¯s available?"

    I ask while trying to keep a facade of being cool and in control without screaming out loud.

    "There¡¯s the Deep Sea killer fish from the southern ocean. And here¡¯s Bloated Bear¡¯s fried fat, and over there we got¡­"

    The skeleton in front of me keeps pointing from food to food, which all look equally bad and frightening. Am I supposed to eat them for lunch? Because they look more like tools for torture than food. Let¡¯s just hope this is a case of bad outside, good inside.

    "How about you try our mystery dish today, cadet?"

    "Mystery dish?"

    I ask back.

    "A special type of dish that is only available on certain days, and today is one of those days. Today¡¯s theme is seafood, and the one-of-a-kind dish we have is black octopus salad. It¡¯s pretty nutritious, and we have received many positive feedbacks about it."

    Octopus, heh? It doesn¡¯t sound that scary. Since in Japan people eat octopuses all the time, I guess it would be fine for a Japanese like me. Besides, it¡¯s not like you get cuisine advice from a talking skeleton everyday, so why the hell not?

    "Okay, I¡¯ll eat that. Give me one serving, lady!"

    "What a brave young man!¡± ¨C Says the Skelly Lady ¨C ¡°Okay, ladies, put all your bones to work and get this young man his black octopus salad!"

    The skeleton cafeteria lady shouts to her skeleton co-workers. After two minutes or so, the dish I ordered ispresented in front of me. Yes, black octopus salad. Just like its name, the dish I got is a black octopus with salad all over it. The problem is I can still see the octopus¡¯s dead tentacles moving around on the plate like it never died. I bet if I let my eyes off it for a second, it would tears dimensions apart then come to my country to molest school girls.

    "Is it¡­still alive?"

    "Nope, it¡¯s dead for sure! This is how black octopuses are: Even when they die, their body is still capable of moving. Just think of them like zombie octopuses. Enjoy your meal, cadet!"

    Great¡­This is the reason why we left the cooking to the living back in my world!

    With no more words to speak to the skeleton lady, I quickly take my meal away and begin to search for Deborah and her friends, all while wondering how the hell should I eat this thing. The chosen table is located near the center of the cafeteria. Sitting near Deborah are two people, a boy and a girl, both are wearing the same black cloak uniform.

    "So this is the guy, heh?"

    The boy speaks out after I sit down near Deborah and put that hell-sent of a dish on the table. Gotta introduce myself first before eating, though.

    "I believe we haven¡¯t met yet. I am Akuma."

    "Oh no, actually, we did meet before. Both this girl and I are your classmates."

    The guy throws a glance at the girl sitting beside him, who¡¯s still keeping her silence. The girl just nods instead of giving out any proper responses, seemingly too shy to make a contribution to the conversation.

    The talkative guy is pretty tall, maybe taller than even Deborah. He has average build at first glance, thoughthere is some hint of muscles hiding under his cloak. He¡¯s fairly handsome, but his bright smile for some reason tones his attractiveness down a notch, probably because it looks rather idiotic. The guy has orange blonde hair, a pair of sky blue eyes and a blue crystal in the middle of his forehead. He has your typical sidekick appearance. From my first impression, I guess this guy is the joyous, cheerful, hyper*poke*active*poke* kind of *poke* guy.

    "Why do you *poke* keep *poke* poking *poke* my face?"

    Yes, he is poking my face as I am in the middle of *poke* speaking *poke* *poke* *poke* *poke*.

    "Bad Caelan! Bad, bad Caelan! No poking strangers!"

    Deborah shouts like a pet owner trying to make her dog behave. The guy named Caelan still doesn''t stop, though. He looks like the type of guy who would automatically pet somebody¡¯s pet dog should he happen to see one, regardless of permission or not.

    "But his face¡­it¡¯s so soft and pokable!"

    "Caelan¡­Stop.Poking.Him."

    "But¡­!"

    Deborah keeps staring at the poor guy until he stopped. Now he looks just like a pet dog who¡¯s sad from seeing his master getting a new pet dog.

    "Sorry, Akuma. This guy - Caelan Eberstark ¨C is a little¡­mentally challenged."

    Says Deborah as she tries her best to describe her friend in the least insulting way possible.

    "I can see that already."

    Honestly, the guy doesn¡¯t even react when someone subtly implied he¡¯s an idiot.

    That being said¡­I don¡¯t hate people like him. I enjoy their company, to be honest. People these days try too much to be a smartass. Having innocent idiots like him around is actually a good thing for me. I don¡¯t need to think much when being near this kind of guy.

    "Yep. The name is Caelan. Starting from today, I¡¯ll be your classmate together with good old Iola here. Nice to meet ya! Deborah¡¯s familiar!"

    "I¡¯m not old¡­"

    The girl sitting beside Caelan lets out a little voice. She seems to be your typical shy girl. Compared to Caelan and Deborah, the girl looks rather small, but she still has above average height for a girl. She has light grey hair, which is braided into two small braids hanging behind her head. Her grey eyes match her hair perfectly. She¡¯s rather cute, and that shyness of her really add more points to her cuteness. Though underneath her cloak, she has a little big¡­bosom for an average girl, which certainly would put her in the good eyes of many guys. That being said, I don¡¯t dig the cute, shy type of girl.

    "It wouldn''t hurt to introduce yourself to strangers, Iola."

    Deborah replies, in a bored tone, accompanied with an equally bored look, which all aim at me. I may be a stranger in their eyes, but at least I know Deborah for a day already.

    "Yes, Deborah."

    The girl answers in a straight voice without any hints of shyness. Then, she looks back to me and lets her words out.

    "I am¡­Iola Moreau. Nice to¡­meet you."

    "Nice to meet you too."

    I nod. She also nods back in return. A prim and proper lady indeed.

    "Didn¡¯t know you have friends, though, Deborah. It¡¯s a real surprise."

    "What? Did you think I¡¯m the loner, anti-social type?"

    "Well, you do have that [I[Stay away from me or I''ll bite[/i] aura."

    Caelan suddenly lets out a small laugh. Seems like the guy agrees with me on this. Deborah seems annoyed, though.

    ¡°I¡¯m certainly not a people person, but at least I have friends.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, social misfits need each other to survive. I get it.¡±

    The more annoyed Deborah gets, the more Caelan laughs out loud.

    "You summoned such a cool familiar, Deborah! Hey hey, since you¡¯re the famed Flame Dragon¡¯s familiar, does that makes you pretty strong yourself too, Akuma?"

    "Err¡­kinda."

    It¡¯s not like I can tell them how I have the Mana Pool of a breakable ceramic pot, couldn¡¯t I?

    "Stop being so modest! I bet you could wipe the floor with half of the students in this room! Maybe all of them if you care enough!"

    Somehow, I can feel several malicious stares behind my back. It is best that I don''t turn back to pursue the origin of those stares. Gotta act cool, gotta act cool!

    "That just crossed the modesty border and went straight to plain arrogance."

    I answer. Though, Flame Dragon, heh?

    "Can I ask a question? What is exactly Flame Dragon? You mean Deborah here is a dragon?"

    She doesn¡¯t look very dragon-like to me, in both appearance and personality. Her appearance is the exact same of a normal human like me, if you don''t count the red hair and red eyes and unnatural height parts.

    "It¡¯s just a stupid moniker came up by students with too much time on their hands. You shouldn¡¯t bother with it."

    Says Deborah. She doesn¡¯t look very happy with this kind of talk. That¡¯s more reason for me to pursue it!

    "But I¡¯m curious! Please, tell me, Caelan."

    "And tell you, I shall! I heard this story from some guys in the Magic Arts Department. What they said was¡­at the beginning of the first year, there was an Elemental Affinity test in the castle¡¯s Main Hall."

    "Elemental Affinity test ?"

    "It¡¯s a test to¡­find out what¡¯s your basic Elemental Affinity. Kinda like¡­what type of elemental magic would suit you best."

    Iola joins in the conversation and sheds light on terms I don''t understand, though she quickly reverts back to her default silence state after speaking her part.

    "Yeah yeah. Things went out just like she said. People got tested to see what is their basic Elemental thingy. Good old Iola here got the Wood element. Fitting, huh?"

    Pretty fitting. She¡¯s as quiet as trees in the wood. Until the wind comes by and the leaves start to sing the song of its people.

    "So Deborah here got the Fire element, right ?"

    I have a hunch, because this girl is fiery like fire everytime she engages in conversations, like the one we had back when I got imprisoned. But other than our interactions, I catch glimpses of her as a quiet, timid girl befitting the element of water rather than fire.

    "Yep yep. That she did. Though that wasn¡¯t the only thing she did."

    "What do you mean by that?"

    Deborah begins to cover her face with a hand, thus creating a facepalm to hide herself from whatever upcoming shame Caelan is about to speak out. This only interest me more!

    "The moment she put her hand on the magic crystal ball thingy for testing, the whole place around her went on fire, literally! She almost burned the whole main hall that day! It was a sight to behold¡­if I was actually there to see it! It¡¯s a pity I wasn¡¯t around the main hall that time, though."

    "Ha ha."

    I let out a small laugh while I watch Deborah covering her face in an attempt to keep her dignity in tact. Even that girl have awkward moments like that? Well, I guess the teachers gave her a good scolding about what she did that day.

    "So why was her nickname became Flame Dragon, though?"

    "They said her fire that day was comparable to that of the mythical dragons of old. You should be more proud of yourself, Deborah! People rarely compare someone to those dragons."

    "Please, stop talking to me.ever.again."

    Yep, this surely isn¡¯t something Deborah would like to hear about. But, it¡¯s not like people will get happy when someone tell peopleabout the time where they accidentally burn some place down to ashes. I understand that, at least.

    Though, dragons, heh? So this world does have those awesome fire-breathing bastards. But from the way Caelan said, it seems they had existed a long time ago and there¡¯s a chance there isn¡¯t any of them left¡­

    "Yeah yeah, got that got that."

    Caelan puts a big smile on his face, while Iola keeps being the shrinking violet she is. Is there any way I can get her into a conversation?

    "Ah. I have always wondered¡­are you guys both demons?"

    That could be a good way to open a conversation since I have no knowledge of the races of this world yet.

    "I¡¯ll give this role to Iola, then. I¡¯m not exactly good with this type of thing, ya know."

    "Wow, he actually knows about it. Good for you, Caelan."

    Deborah gives Caelan her remark.

    "Don¡¯t underestimate Sir Caelan¡¯s intelligence. I aced all of my kindergarten classes, for your information!"

    To meet such a genius at this place and this moment, life is worth living indeed.

    "Iola, please? Can you shed some light to this foolish familiar of mine? I¡¯m not in the mood to lecture him."

    "If that is what you ask."

    Iola nods. She seems to like Deborah, enough to banish away her shyness wheneverDeborah talks to her.

    "Well technically, both of us are indeed demons. But Demon is just a common term for residents of the Demon Realm. Our race is actually different. He¡¯s actually a Devil, and I¡¯m a Witch."

    A Devil and a Witch? Though, let¡¯s forget about that for a bit, does that girl just suddenly speak louder and more coherent like a different person?

    "Devil? Witch?"

    "Devil, or should I say, Devilmen, is the most numerous of all races here in the Eostre continent. They are the primary descendants of the Ancient Devils. As you can see from Caelan, he is of the Devil race. Even though their appearances may not be different from that of human¡¯s, what separate them is the crystal on their forehead, which holds dark energies from their ancestor ¨C the Ancient Devils."

    "Let me talk about Witches and Warlocks too. Even though the two were named different, they are of the same race. Us witches and warlocks are of human origin, and thus, we gathered a lot of spite and hatred from many races in the Demon Realm due to our origin. We are, however, not completely human. We are beings who were born with higher soul energy potential than that the normal humans, and can use special spells which normal human mages are incapable of using. One who learns the path of magic may become a magic user, and if he or she choose to go deeper in the art of magic, they can become a mage. But no matter how hard the magic users and mages work, they can never become witches and warlocks. In order to make us look different from normal humans, it¡¯s part of our culture that we need to wear a traditional wizard hat all the time."

    "O...kay¡­"

    Ho boy, did I just step on a landmine? Who would have thought a shy girl like her can become such an impressive chatterbox like this? Though, speaking about the hat, despite its importance, I don''t see Iola wearing her wizard hat she spoke about. Even Nilrem occasionally wear hers.

    "The equivalent of witches and warlocks in the realm of the humans are the Wizards. All three of them are technically the same, though. They were named that way to differentiate their allegiance. The witches and warlocks to the Demon Realm, and the wizards to the Heaven Realm. There were such differences because originally our ancestors were of Heaven Realm ancestry, but they emigrated to Demon Realm because of their desire to study this land¡¯s unique Dark magic, while the Wizards stayed and reserved the Heaven Realm¡¯s magic knowledge. Though to the present day, witches and warlocks still use elemental spells as the primary weapon, and only a few would learn Dark magic since it¡¯s rather hard to use and study. The ones that do use them are called Necromancers instead. Also¡­"

    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    "Okay okay. How about you take a little rest while I stomach all of these?"

    Honestly, I¡¯m not that good of a student to begin with, and she just has to throw me a bunch of information at once.

    "Oh¡­sorry. I went overboard this time¡­Please forgive me."

    "Don¡¯t apologize to him, Iola. He should be the one to show you gratitude instead. Not every girl would go out of her way to give you explanations on how things work, you know?"

    Deborah turns to me and throw her gazes at me. I¡¯m not sure if she¡¯s being sarcastic or really means it.

    "He got the point, though. Don¡¯t keep this black fellow waiting any longer!"

    Caelan then points his finger to the black octopus salad on my table, with the octopus slowly trying to escape from the dish. Oh right, forgot about it. Gotta eat, gotta eat. Can¡¯t wage war on an empty stomach.

    "Right. Time to dig in."

    Like I said before, let¡¯s hope this thing is just a case of ¡°Look bad outside but delicious inside¡±.

    I hold a knife with one hand and slowly cut one of the octopi¡¯s tentacles. Then, I take that piece of meat to my mouth using a fork and eat it, letting my tongue savors the flavor.

    "¡­"

    Nope, this thing is as horrible as it looks. It tastes friggin horrible, though it¡¯s just the taste that is horrible, at least it¡¯s not the puke-inducing type of horrible. I can eat all of this if I¡¯m brave enough, but don¡¯t expect my culinary taste to be fully intact after I¡¯m done.

    "Full already? Care to let me finish it?"

    Cheerfully says Caelan.

    "Didn¡¯t you just eat lunch earlier ?"

    "Oh, that''s just late breakfast!"

    Caelan answers Deborah with a joyful smile on his face.

    "It¡¯s okay, Caelan. I can handle this."

    "Stop putting on a brave face, if you can¡¯t eat then just admit it."

    "Didn¡¯t I tell you already, Deborah? I don¡¯t do things half-assed!"

    After I replywith cool statement of mine, I begin to fill my stomach with the black octopus meat in front of me. Never before have I found plain salad to be this delicious. This meal is really a meal of wonders, it makes you know the value of the ordinary things around you that you take for granted. I am eternally grateful for this experience.

    "Here¡¯s some water."

    While I keep eating the octopi, Deborah stands up and fetches us some water cups. I chug up mine the moment she hands a cup to me. Phew, that is a life saver.

    "Really, you¡¯re stupider than Caelan in a sense."

    "Hey, I get offended by that!"

    That isn''t mine sentence alone, though. It''s also Caelan¡¯s. Great minds think alike?

    "Right right."

    Deborah just sighs and quietly drinks her own cup of water in peace.

    A new conversation begins when Caelan asks about the upcoming finals, and after that, it¡¯s just more school stuff. Since I¡¯m not that familiar with this place yet, I mostly sit out and let people around me do the talking. By the time this conversation ends, nothing noteworthy has happened so far.

    "Phew. Is it that long already? I wonder why. Maybe because she didn¡¯t show up?"

    "Caelan, you and your big mouth!"

    Suddenly, there¡¯s a large shout coming from the cafeteria¡¯s entrance. The people standing there begin to make way for someone. Then, a girl in high heels kicks the entrance''s door open and walks into the room, along with five students following behind acting as her entourage.

    "DEBORAH!!!!"

    "Great, the real hassle is here. And I thought today would be a rare peaceful day."

    Deborah mutters to herself, while the girl in question and her entouragestart approaching us.

    "When will you accept my Duel challenge? Shall I remind you again that I, the great Amadia Devereaux, don¡¯t have the time to remind you about this everyday?"

    Before that loud girl gets close to us, Iola whispers to me.

    "She did come everyday, though. That succubus girl is one of the top dogs among the first year."

    Well now ain¡¯t that interesting.

    For a someone belongs to a race which supposedly sleeps with men for a literal living, the girl''s fashion code is rather prim and proper, if somewhat cute and stylish. Amadia has long dark purple hair which reaches down to her back, accompanied by a pink ribbon behind her head. Her eyes are of the same color, though her pupils are not that of a human''s, they are more demonic in appearance. She¡¯s taller than Iola, but not too tall to detract from her attractiveness. The girl wears a purple shirt underneath her cloak while having a small black vest full of cute carol on top of it. Her cute, frilly short skirt is also filled with flowery patterns similar to a beautiful curtain. If she¡¯s not moving and opening her mouth in every waking moment, Amadia would be a very cute doll, if only.

    "So, what is your answer? You know I expect great things from the granddaughter of Lord Dargoth, right?"

    "Just go away, please¡­"

    "No can¡¯t do! Do you know how much of an honor it is to be challenged for a Duel by me? Shall I remind you again of my flawless battle record?"

    As cute as this girl is, everything about her just screams two words ¡°Alpha Bitch¡±. I wonder who would win in a motormouth contest, her, or Iola?

    The longer her rants become, the more quiet Deborah is. She just averts her eyes,having no desire to deal with this girl or anyone. Where is that sharp-tongued girl hiding? Why would she cower in front of a lousy girl like this one? Is that awesome moniker "Flame Dragon" just for show?

    "Really, you disappointed me again, Deborah. Where is your pride as a demon? Don¡¯t you want to live up to that title of yours, being the granddaughter of a great Demon King such as Lord Dargoth?"

    Demon King? Like what, the clich¨¦ evil dude who wants to destroy the world?

    "Just¡­stop."

    "That, I won¡¯t! Until you give me the answer I desire, I, the great daughter of Lady Asmodi, shall come and grace you with a visit everyday! O hohohoho!"

    So if she comes again, I¡¯ll have to endure another endless ranting which takes ten minutes a day? That won¡¯t do! Even if it¡¯s just ten minutes, time is still precious. Besides, I¡¯m not fond of people like her and to listen to her rant on and on everyday.

    "I await good answers tomorrow. And for now, farewell!"

    The girl begins to walk away, she¡¯s almost past me.

    Shall I play the role of the devil¡¯s advocate, then?

    The moment she walks past me, I turn my right leg over hers, and thus, make her trips into a wooden table nearby and splatters food all over her face. I can feel the jaws of people around me dropping to the surface. I guess what I just did is less advocating and more devilsh. Or it¡¯s just plain dickish if I''m honest. But it¡¯s necessary evil, in my view.

    The girl slowly stands up, she calmly cleans her face with her purple handkerchief and then, Amadia turns her look back to our table, or rather, to me. Yes, I can feel her anger''s rising.

    "Just¡­what do you think you¡¯re doing?"

    The girl slowly mutters, all while people around begin to walk back farther and farther. Only her entourage stay behind, and they all look pissed, for good reason. Suddenly, the atmosphere around looks slightly darker than usual. And then, from her right hand comes a small ball of purple¡­lightning.

    I think what I just did¡­is a bad idea after all!

    "Hide! The Thunderbolt got angry!"

    Somebody yell out loud. Right at that moment, people in this room start to duck behind whatever cover they can find. That is not a good sign!

    As soon as they finished ducking, Amadia puts her right hand to the front and shoot a lightning bolt at me!

    "Crouch, now!"

    Deborah shouts. She kicks our table up and instantly catches it in mid air. Holding the table with one hand, she uses it to absorb the lightning bolt Amadia shot while using her other hand to force me to crouch down. After that, she throws the table toward Amadia. The girl nimbly dodges the table, but when she¡¯s wasting her time dodging, we have already finished hiding behind a nearby stone pillar from the chance she gives us.

    "Did you think that was a good idea!!??"

    Deborah shouts near my left ear.

    "Well, I did think it was a bad idea"

    Suddenly, Amadia begins to shoot two lightning bolts near the position we¡¯re hiding, forcing us to change our location when the girl begins walking toward our hiding spot.

    "Do you have a death wish or what?"

    "Maybe I do?"

    "Then just jump out of a window, it¡¯s easier! It may annoy the janitors, but at least your death won¡¯t annoy me!"

    Just before we could reach our new stone pillar, our escapade ends when Amadia shoots a lightning bolt in front of us, forcing us to stop our track.

    "FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!"

    The people in this room begin to cheer out loud in front of the chaos. So, they actually want us to take this¡­conflict to a whole new level. And yet I expected they would run like hell the moment someone begins shooting out lightning bolts in the cafeteria like an American school shooter.

    "Step aside Deborah. There¡¯s no reason for you to protect this horrible man!"

    "As much as I want to, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t do that."

    "Why not?"

    "Because this good-for-nothing guy here is my familiar¡­"

    Amadia suddenly becomes silent. However, she hasn¡¯t drop her lightning filled hand yet.

    "I see. Then, if you want to protect him, fight me. Even if you¡¯re standing in front of him, that alone isn¡¯t enough to stop my lightning from reaching him."

    "I would like to see you try."

    Deborah talks back with no intention of cowering like before. Man, does this girl ever know there are lines you simply cannot cross? Though at this moment, I¡¯m the one who should be lectured about that, not her.

    Amadia begins to gather more bolts in her hand. This doesn¡¯t look good.

    Must I use That right now? But I can¡¯t think of any other options.

    "Stop right there!!!!"

    A voice suddenly emerges. Behind the crowd, a shadowy figure appears and jumps over them. Heeding her instinct, Amadia turns around and shoots her culminated lightning bolts to the direction of that person. The shadowy figure seems to be holding something in its hand - A wooden table. Using the wood table, the suddenly appeared stranger blocks Amadia¡¯s bolts before safely landing nearby to face Amadia. For some reason, Amadia stops attacking once she sees her opponent¡¯s face.

    The one who just appear is a teacher so her action is justified, and that teacher is none other than the brutish Bjarni Lodbrok, our homeroom teacher.

    "What do you think you¡¯re doing to my maggots, missy Cadet!?"

    He seems angry, and there are blood veins all over his bald head as a proof of his anger.

    "My apology, Teacher, but they insulted me first!"

    Amadia stands down, but not before throwing me a hateful gaze.

    "Is that true, you maggots?"

    Deborah doesn¡¯t say anything as Bjarni turns his attention to us, and she also leaves my side and leaves me standing in the opposite of Bjanri. Damn you!

    "Err. Kinda."

    I answer. And I shouldn¡¯t have said that, because Mr.Bjanrisuddenlylunges at me, holding me by my collar and pulls me off the ground.

    "You maggot! Just what do you think you¡¯re doing to this young lady!? And on the first day at this school, no less!! Come with me to the field now, your punishment awaits!"

    "That¡¯s enough, Mr.Lodbrok."

    Before I get a beating from my homeroom teacher, a voice suddenly interjects in, making the muscular Devilman drop me down and turn toward the cafeteria''s entrance.

    "Indirectly helping your student escape from his responsibility is bad, Mr.Lodbrok. You should know this already as a teacher. I still remember all you did to those students you ¡°punished¡± was just making them run several laps around the school. That won¡¯t do justice to my student, won¡¯t it?"

    The person who just appear is a rather strange person. A woman who looks very true to the definition of a witch. That woman is a beauty, a devilish beauty that is, who¡¯s wearing a rather battered gray witch clothes, but even that doesn¡¯t seem to dimish her adult charm and beauty. The strange women have long black hair and a pair of red eyes, though hers have a darker shade than Deborah¡¯s.

    "Miss Walpurga Hausmannin. I believe what I did to my student as punishment is my own damn business, not yours."

    "Normally, that would be the case. But since this also involves my student, I believe I have some say in this matter. Don¡¯t you think so?"

    Both the teachers exchange looks. They don¡¯t seem to like each other much, and I guess the reason they don''t settle their own problems right this instance is because the ruckus their students caused is more important to solve.

    "What do you want to propose?"

    "A little duel. I haven¡¯t seen the Thunderbolt amongst the first year¡¯s magic users duel in a while. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Her humiliation shall be paid with his. That is what I believe."

    "And I believe you have more in mind than just a little duel."

    "Sharp as always. You being the head of the barbaric War Arts Department is such a waste indeed."

    The strange witch gives out an equally strange smile on her lips.

    "A fight won''t be fun if there aren''t any stakes involved, wouldn''t it? How about this: I propose that if he wins this fight, Amadia shall forgive him for the crimes he committed."

    That sounds nice enough, except the part where my prank is labeled as a crime.

    "But in the case he fails to do so, and suffer defeat, Cadet Deborah must fight Miss Amadia here as per request of her."

    "What?"

    Deborah lets out a big what. Well, that¡¯s understandable, since my loss is now a direct concern to her affair.

    "I believe that is the fairest terms and conditions I can give you. Even though Miss Amadia is my student, I¡¯m still a teacher, and to have an objective viewpoint is a requirement. Do you accept, Mr.Lodbrok?"

    "Deal!"

    Wow, does the brutish teacher just accept their request on behalf of me and Deborah without our opinion?

    "I shall decide the date. Three days from now, at the Arena. They will settle their matters, cadet to cadet!"

    "Accepted. Now then, good day to you and your students. And good luck to you, too, mister irregular familiar."

    The strange teacher gives our homeroom teacher a light bow before walking out of the cafeteria, followed by most of the people here.

    "Just as she said. I shall await you at the Arena..."

    Says Amadia, directed not to me but Deborah instead.

    "¡­after I defeat that familiar of yours. Farewell for now!"

    Well, I guess the last part is indeed directed at me.

    Amadia leaves when she no longer have any business here, along with her entourage. Suddenly, the cafeteria becomes quieter than it should.

    "Mr.Lodbrok! Three days are too short of a time limit. Why didn¡¯t you make it a week or a month at the very least?"

    Deborah comes to the homeroom teacher to voice her mind, while Iola and Caelan stand near me to watch their conversation unfold.

    "They may take that time to study your familiar¡¯s fighting style, so we should give them a short time frame, deprive them of any chances to do a recon on us. Speed is essential for victory!"

    "But that¡¯s still too short!"

    "I believe that wouldn¡¯t be a problem. Since he¡¯s your familiar, he should be incredibly strong, right?"

    "Err?"

    And thus, the ruckus in the cafeteria ends that day, and I am left in total despair with a very bleak future awaits ahead of me.

 Chapter 4: A night in the fiery girls room

    ¡°After the end of another day, I have cometo the conclusion that this world is indeed full of weirdos.¡±

    ¡°Said the biggest weirdo! And what are you doing in my room!?¡±

    Just like she said, as of now, I am leisurely strolling around Deborah¡¯s room in my own pace, all to explore a girl¡¯s little personal haven. This room isn¡¯t exactly small, but it¡¯s about the size of an average appartment in Tokyo. On the ceiling of this room lies aradiantcrystal acting as light bulb. This room has a wooden bunk bed in the corner and two simple study desks on its opposite .Along side thoseare two closets and a closed wooden windows. There is also a nice red carpet laid down in the middle of the floor, and that¡¯s about it. This room has no other notable decorations, unless you count various books and notebooks on Deborah¡¯s study desk as room decoration. For a girl, Deborah¡¯s room is suprisingly plain and devoid of life and color. One could say rather than her own haven, this is simply a place for her to lay her back for a night''s rest without any special attachment.

    ¡°The Headmaster said your room will be my home for the time being.¡±

    ¡°She did? That woman¡­¡±

    Deborah isn¡¯t exactly pleased with this sudden revelation. Understandably, if I¡¯m a girl I would also lose my shit when someone suddenly sent a strange dude to live with me in my own room. I however would accept him if he happens to be me, of course. But I don¡¯t think that would apply to Deborah.

    ¡°Well, I can sleep at pretty much anywhere. I guess I¡¯ll take the hallway spot before you literally kick me out of the room.¡±

    Before I can get myself a blanket and a pillow, Deborah lets out a small sigh as she replies.

    ¡°Geezz. Please stop putting words in people¡¯s mouths, will you? I¡¯m tired enough already and I don¡¯t want to spend time dealing with needless rumors about animal abuse. Just stay here for the night, I¡¯ll talk to the Headmaster later.¡±

    Wow. Did she just tell a guy she met for merely two days ago to spend the night in her room together with her? Do girls in this world always this bold?

    ¡°Who are you and what did you do to Deborah!?¡±

    ¡°How rude! I¡¯m always me! And stop talking like you know me for a lifetime!¡±

    Deborah understandably snaps back.

    ¡°I mean. If I put myself in your shoes for a moment, I guess I would like a good night sleep too if I was locked up the moment I got summoned to a strange world, then got into strange incidents and almost being killed by a lightning maniac. Though the last bit was actually your fault.¡±

    I stand there and just look at her in awe. For a brief moment, I find myself unable to utter any witty remark to talk back to her.

    ¡°You¡¯re¡­suprisingly kind.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m always kind! I¡¯m actually a very kind girl! Yet, being nearby you always give me a good reason to be a jerk, your actions certainly help! It''s like destiny paved a way for you to be here just so I could show my bad side more often.¡±

    "Wow, I feel honored.¡±

    ¡°If you like it that way then I guess I don''t mind using you as a verbal punching bag.¡±

    The girl put on a little smile on her face, though it''s more similar to an evil smirk. She¡¯s actually very pretty and cute when she doesn¡¯t spend all her time sulking because someone killed every puppies she adopted.

    ¡°Anyway, let me remind you about one thing. Kind as I am, there¡¯re still things I can¡¯t tolerate. For your information, you¡¯re currently in the girls¡¯s dorm. If my familiar happens to be found fooling around with some girls, and his master suddenly hears about that, the ensuring result won¡¯t be pretty, I assure you. The same thing applied if you pull some funny things on me during my sleep. I¡¯ll definitely make you feel death itself will be a blessing you will never have. You got that?¡±

    Wow, scary.~

    ¡°Right right.¡±

    Even if right now I have the urge for some tricks or two, I just don¡¯t have enough strength left to do it or anything else. Beside, if I¡¯m putting myself into her shoes, I guess I won¡¯t like any more mischiefshappen to me the same day I got a guy barged in to my life causing troubles left and right. I guess I¡¯ll let it slide....for today only.

    ¡°Hmm. Let¡¯s hope you aren¡¯t that stupid. Now get out, I have to change clothes.¡±

    She hangs her cloak on a nearby coat hanger then shows me the doorwith her pointing finger. I sigh as I silently obey my Master and walk away from her room.

    ¡°Deborah¡­Thank you.¡±

    ¡°¡­Just go already.¡±

    The girl does not look me in the eyes. After I get out of the room, the doorlock clicks when clocked to prevent any peeking attempt from the would-be pervert standing outside. I lay my back along with the door to rest for a bit. Some female students suddenly walk by, most of them probably wondered ¡°What is a guy doing in the girl¡¯s dormitory in the middle of the night?¡±. Few who recognize me whispers to each other in silence about the upcoming duel. Well, none actually approachs and call me out on being the wrong gender at the wrong place and time, which is nice. I¡¯m really in need of quiet moment right now.

    ¡°You may come in.¡±

    A voice comes from inside the room, along with the sound of the door clicking. It¡¯s the cue for me to go back inside. In the room, I can see Deborah in her white nightgown sitting near a desk to arrange some workbooks. Her ankle-length nightgown covers most of her tall body, only reveals her bare shoulders. Somehow, the more that dress covers, the more it adds to her charm, especially those bare and white as silk shoulders of hers. Not to mention that perfect white nape. Truly something worth dying for. She also smell kinda good, thanks to having a bath earlier prior to arriving at her room, I guess.

    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    Wait, stop. I¡¯m starting to have weird thoughts. End this, now!

    ¡°What¡­are you looking at...?¡±

    Deborah turns her looks back to me while her face¡¯s slightly blushes, slightly.

    ¡°Nothing.¡±

    That¡¯s the oldest line in the book and the most obvious one. I should give out some compliments to her looks, yet for some reasons, I can¡¯t muster enough courage within me to do the deed. Beside, this is Deborah we¡¯re talking about, one wrong move and I may end up in a world of hurt.

    ¡°I¡¯ve always expect you to be nothing more than a good for nothing, yet you betrayed even that.¡±

    Deborah gives out a bored look and sighs.

    ¡°By the way, it has been pestering me since this afternoon, but why did you decide to trip Amadia back at the cafeteria?¡±

    ¡°I did it because I don¡¯t want to hear that girl¡¯s ranting from day to day until you accept her challenge. For that, I decided to speed up the process to give the two of you a legitimate reason to fight each other. So yeah, my plan back then was summed up as ¡°Your familiar humilitated me, so as his master, you should take responsibility and fight me!¡±.¡±

    ¡°Yet you didn¡¯t take becoming the appetizer for our fight into account. Honestly, to think that I have finally found someone who could give Caelan a challenge in a battle of wits¡­¡±

    Deborah puts her hand on her right temple to ease her headache. She kinda has a point though.

    ¡°Well, but you do admit I get the job done¡­somehow.¡±

    ¡°Yeah yeah, good luck enjoying your new school life in the infirmary after she¡¯s done with you.¡±

    She makes that girl sounds like an actual threat¡­

    ¡°Anyway. Is there any reason why you don¡¯t want to fight her? Is she that strong?¡±

    ¡°No. I don¡¯t want to sound arrogant, but I could beat that girl in less than five seconds.¡±

    Now ain¡¯t that a prime example of humility.

    ¡°Then why?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s stupid, that¡¯s why. Fighting among each other just to make yourself look better is incredibly stupid. That¡¯s why I never participate in any duel, nor would I care enough to watch them.¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t fight publicly even once, and people here still think you¡¯re the toughest kid in school?¡±

    This girl just keeps getting more ridiculous day by day.

    ¡°They just assumed I¡¯m strong because I¡¯m the granddaughter of a Demon King.¡±

    From her opinion about Amadia, I guess their assumption isn¡¯t entirely wrong though.

    ¡°The problem is they think you¡¯re strong as well because you¡¯re my familiar, but I know better than them. Three days are not enough to train, and you¡¯re already hopeless to begin with. How else can you get out of this fight without spending your school life in the infirmary?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that our homework?¡±

    Deborah bats an eyebrow before her face brightens from the emergence of a new idea.

    ¡°I know! How about you beg her for forgiveness? Rather than a week or two, if you beg hard enough, maybe you¡¯ll just have to spend three days at the very least?¡±

    ¡°Calm your horse, girl. The fight hasn¡¯t been decided yet.¡±

    Beside, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m exactly harmless. I maybe weak, that¡¯s true, but I¡¯m not harmless. If not, I wouldn''t have the confidence required in the night I made my choice to stay here.

    ¡°You have a plan?¡±

    ¡°Kinda like that. Although I still need some help. Deborah, how about you teach me some basic magic tomorrow?¡±

    ¡°What do you hope to achieve within that limited time frame?¡±

    ¡°Whatever I can.¡±

    I begin to exchange looks with her. I win the moment she gives out a sigh in defeat, though.

    ¡°Well fine. I¡¯m not in the mood to go to class tomorrow anyway. So you better rest up this night, because tomorrow¡¯s gonna be a busy day for both of us.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Deborah gives out another sigh. She¡¯s very fond of sighing, isn¡¯t she? I hope I''m not the sole reason. The girl then stands up, she waves her hand to the ceiling, and the light begins to dim out before completely disappears. I can still see a glimpse of her figure climbing up the bunk bed though.

    ¡°Good night. ¡°

    Says Deborah.

    ¡°Good night.¡±

    The girl warps herself in a blanket before turning her back to me. Not minding her anymore, I begin to get my personal belongings in my pockets outside, except for two things, and put them on an empty desk. On the desk, there¡¯s some money, a student I.D and a phone. All of them are completely useless in this world. I guess the only things I need are what remaining in my pockets. I take one of them out, because I need it for the night.

    A cat-shaped hand puppet I called Mr.Cat.

    I lie myself on the bed below Deborah¡¯s. Look into the black cat hand puppet, I silently whisper. Let¡¯s hope she¡¯s already asleep.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry because it took so long.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, boy. That wizard lady treated me nice enough. No need to fear! It¡¯s just two days! But now i''m back for you, boy!¡±

    Says the hand puppet.

    ¡°Now, tell me what happened during my absence, boy. The nice Mr.Cat here will listen to all of your worries."

 Chapter 5: A day drowning in books

    Mysecond morning in this world isn¡¯t as pleasant as I thought it will. Both me and Deborah wakes up roughly the same time. The first thing in the morning obviously isn¡¯t pick up your books and immediately get your ass to class. No, we still have personal hygiene to take care off. And since this is the girl¡¯s dormitory, obviously they don¡¯t have toilet and bathhouse for male usage built in mind.

    So yeah, my second morning consists of running to the actual bathhouse for men, located in the opposite of the girls¡¯ dormitory and is also packed with people the moment I step in. Thank god they provide free toothbrush and towel for students to use, so I got that going for me, which is nice. My clothing is, of course, would be dirty as hell after two days of fantasy hijinks.Thankfully, there are some spells that can instantly clean your clothes and banish the smell, which I asksome guy in chargeat the bathhouse to perform on mine. The feeling of fresh clothes is indeed¡­refreshing, but I still prefer the good old-fashioned post-laundry and dried clothes though.

    Aside from that and another struggle with the breakfast from hell, there¡¯s nothing eventful happening in my second morning.

    According from what Deborah told me in the morning, the learning sessions in this academywere divided into two categories: One is the Common classes, which is to deal with¡­common subjects, like Math, Language and History and other stuff. Not that much different from my old world¡¯s standard courses. The other is Specialized classes, where students learn about subjects of their chosen Department. Apparently, there are three main Departments in this school, the ¡¸War Arts¡¹, the ¡¸Magic Arts¡¹ , and lastly, the¡¸Alchemy Arts¡¹ . The details howeveraren''tknown to me, but from their names, I can roughly imagine what they are about.

    Well, forget about those for a moment. Today¡¯s periods mostly consist of Specialized classes, but since Deborah decided to ditch hers, and I have yet to choose a Department, so (technically) we have a free day to beat the basic of magic into my head. I¡¯m actually looking forward to it though. I mean, it¡¯s not everyday you got to learn about freakin Magic. Comparing to the old lessons I had at home, this is much, much more exciting to look forward to.

    There¡¯s no time to waste,I have tohead back to Deborah¡¯s room as soon as possible. She¡¯s probably waiting andwill be mad if I¡¯m late.

    It¡¯s kinda ironic that we¡¯re ditching classes in order to study in our room. Well, doesn¡¯t matter anyway. If she doesn¡¯t care about her attendance record then why should I? #thuglife

    The way back to the girl¡¯s dorm is also uneventful, up until I reach the dorm¡¯s entrance.

    At the dorm¡¯s main hall, as I am rushing back home, a girl suddenly appears near the staircase leading to the rooms. We nearly bump into each other, but both manage to stop before anything else happen. A girl with long purple hair, and is also the one I¡¯m supposed to duel in the next two days. Amadia Devereaux, I presume.

    ¡°What is a man doing in the girls¡¯ dormitory? State your business!¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Is this girl kidding me? Usually when someone tripped and humiliated you in front of your friends and a bunch of strangers, if you don¡¯t know the name then at least you should remember the bastard¡¯s face.

    ¡°Speak now! Or would you prefer to get fried alive?¡±

    Scaryyyyyy~

    ¡°I believe we have met before. You should remember me by now.¡±

    ¡°Before? Do I know you?¡±

    The girl bluntly replies with a completeobliviousness showing on her pretty, doll-like face.

    ¡°We¡¯re gonna have a duel in the next two days!¡±

    ¡°What duel? I can only remember I¡¯m gonna duel Deborah in the next two days.¡±

    ¡°That is only if you defeat me first!¡±

    Seriously. This girl¡­she put goldfishes to shame.

    ¡°The cafeteria. The tripping. Remember?¡±

    The girl looks confused. Sheputs her arm on her chin as she strikes a thinking pose. For some reason, after a few seconds, I can see her eyes shine a little bit brighter, and a Ding sound comically rings inside my head.

    ¡°Oh I remembered! You¡¯re that unremarkable guy that I can¡¯t remember from that day!¡±

    "Well, that¡¯s a start."

    I mutter to myself.

    ¡°Sorry for not remembering you. I¡¯m a bit¡­excited for my upcoming duel with Deborah so¡­But hey, back to the topic at hand, what are you doing in the girl¡¯s dorm!?¡±

    She points her finger at my face. It¡¯s rude to do that to people, you know?

    ¡°I live here.¡±

    ¡°Where? I recall there¡¯s no empty room left for you to live?¡±

    ¡°I live in Deborah¡¯s room.¡±

    ¡°Whattttt???? What did you do to Deborah!? If you do anything bad to her¡­!¡±

    Am I not the victim here?

    ¡°And how the hell did they allow a man and woman to live together in the first place¡­!¡±

    Her face suddenly turns a bit red from embrassment. Is she really a succubus? She doesn¡¯t seem like one despite the claim of Deborah¡¯s friends.Was she born in the wrong race to begin with? An innocent succubus? This is new.

    ¡°It¡¯s more like a master and her pet, though.¡±

    The only thing missing is a collar for me.

    ¡°Master and¡­pet? That actually makes it worse!¡±

    Wow, this girl is suprisingly bright where it counts.

    ¡°Amadia, please. I am her familiar, well, technically anyway. But since I am her familiar, I guess it¡¯s okay if we do live together? Like a girl and her pet dog?¡±

    I¡¯m okay as long as Deborah doesn¡¯t make me her guard dog for real, though. And I prefer being a cat more.

    ¡°Still, even if it¡¯s true. You¡¯re a man, and she¡¯s a maiden. It¡¯s unacceptable for a maiden to live together with a man! That¡¯s right¡­I gotta make this into one of my demand if I win the battle against her. I¡¯ll definitely save her from the likes of you!¡±

    Okay, this girl is totally in her own world right now. How about I bring reality back to her, heh?

    ¡°Can you actually do it? Beat Deborah, I mean.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by that? I¡¯m strong! I can beat that girl!¡±

    Amadia proudly declares, complete with a confident smirk.

    ¡°Deborah told me she could beat you in less than five seconds.¡±

    Amadia begins to slowly lose her smile¡­for one second, before she turns her arrogant smirkinto a pleased smile. For some reason, she seems kinda happy knowing her rival can beat her in a blink of an eye.

    ¡°As expected from someone I admire. She have to be that strong at least, else it won¡¯t worth all those convincing efforts of mine.¡±

    Now this is new. So she does it not out of hate, but out of respect, heh? However, as much as I admire that admiration of hers, that doesn¡¯t change the fact that I¡¯m gonna face her first, and I''m gonna get beaten hard by her if I blindly charge in. But I have no intention to be confined in the infirmary for weeks to recover. There are so much things I want to do and learn in this world, and I have no time to waste for healing.

    That¡¯s why¡­how about I play my cards right now ?

    ¡°That being said¡­¡±

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    Amadia looks at me again after she''s done finishing her fantasies.

    ¡°I may not be able to defeat you in five seconds¡­¡± ¨C I mumble ¨C ¡°But I assure you, I won¡¯t make it last longer than ten.¡±

    Amadia suddenly drops dead silence. There¡¯s no longer any signs of a ditzy and somewhat innocent girl I just met. Rather, Amadia has just return to her normal self, return to be the fearedThunderbolt full of murderous intents from the day I met her. A terrifying girl who has no fear of anyone, just like a bolt of thunder and lightning striking wherever they please, befitting her granted nickname.

    I guess since I made her this mad, it counts as a success for me?

    ¡°Do you know the weight of those words you just said?¡±

    I can alreadyfeel the electrons running in the air. I bet if I make her more mad than this, she¡¯ll definetely fry me alive without any regards for our duel.

    ¡°Oh I¡¯m dead serious. If you actually want to have a fight here, I won¡¯t mind. But that would break our agreement, and your only chance to duel Deborah would vanish along with it. Is that what you really want?¡±

    That being said, if a fight breaks out here, I believe rather than the infirmary I would actually end up straight to the cemetery. If I¡¯m a fisherman with a poisoned bait, and she¡¯s a hungry shark looking for a feast, I pray that she only take the bait and go, not dragging the fisherman to the sea along with her for an early dinner.

    ¡°Right.¡±

    Amadia calms down. Her belligerence slowly vanishes. I give out a small smile on my face before continuing my walk, not wanting to make this conversation any longer than necessary.

    ¡°Two days.¡±

    Says Amadia when I walk past her.

    ¡°Two days.¡±

    I answer. Both of us start to walk our own path, not meeting again until the fated day. The day to show this world what I¡¯m capable of.

    ---------------------

    ¡°¡­And that¡¯s what happened.¡±

    I sip a bit energy drink from my cup after I¡¯m done telling what just happened earlier to Deborah. The girl doesn¡¯t comment anything at first, at least until she starts facepalming toblock her sightaway from the idiot in front of her, that''s me by the way.

    ¡°At this point I¡¯m no longer surprised. Still, to think you would actually go and enrage her before your fight¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying like that¡¯s a bad thing.¡±

    Isn¡¯t this one of old man Sun Tzu¡¯s tactics, right? Enraging the enemy generals or something like that.

    ¡°Maybe you¡¯re right. But do you think you could back up your claim? Defeating her in less than 10 seconds, that is?¡±

    ¡°Nope. It¡¯s just a bluff, totally a bluff.¡±

    ¡°Figures¡­¡±

    I have a feeling she¡¯s gonna bang her head repeatedly to the wall in disappointment, but that¡¯s none of my business.

    Beside, I think my move of boasting the impossible maybe the right thing to do. The girl doesn¡¯t look that bright, but I guess that would be an effective psychological attack and bring me some advantages. For now, the most effective weapon I could use is the image of a powerful familiar inside the people''s impression of me. Though that girl, Amadia, doesn¡¯t seems to mind it that much due to her excitement of dueling Deborah. Anyway, with that little boast of mine, I bet right now she has already begun gathering more information about her upcoming opponent rather than Deborah.

    Yep, I could win this if all the necessary conditions are met.

    ¡°Anyway, how is your talk with the headmaster?¡±

    Deborah doesn''t answer and just gives out another sigh. Seems like it didn¡¯t go well for her. I guess I still need to live in this room from now on after all.

    ¡°Just forget about that for a moment. We don¡¯t have time to spare. Let¡¯s hit the books.¡±

    Deborah points to a bunch of books that weren''t on my study desk yesterday. Seems like she have prepared all of those during my absence.

    ¡°Your job first is to read all the basic ones if you don¡¯t understand anything, just tell me. I¡¯ll be waitingup here, reading some books to kill time.¡±

    ¡°So¡­your definition of teaching people is telling them read books and make them figure everything out for themselves while you go chilling?¡±

    ¡°Stop whining. If you¡¯re indeed my familiar and our pact is still working then these won¡¯t be a problem for you to stomach.¡±

    ¡°Right¡­¡±

    As unfair as this is, I know it¡¯s not time for me to whine. If what she said is true, then this won¡¯t be a problem for me at all. Let¡¯s pray I didn¡¯t inherit just this world¡¯s language from her.

    Deborah arranged all the books in the order of what needed to be read first. The first textbook is literally called The Basic of Magic. It¡¯s relativelybrand new, though there¡¯re still some dust on that book. After a quick glance, I notice that there are no personal notes on this book. I guess a mage of Deborah''s caliber never bothered to use a children book like this to begin with.

    But anyway, time to hit the books.

    No more words, no more conversations. While she keeps reading her own books, I obediently sit on my chair while reading mine. Sometimes, I take a sip from my energy drink cup ¨C a special drink from the cafeteria, which is suprsingly drinkable, not delicious, but drinkable. It also helps boost concentration and energy, so it¡¯s the go-to drink when someone needs to grind for finals and the likes.

    One of the first topics in this book is about ¡¸Soul energy¡¹ ¨C the main energy source for mages to perform magic. Soul energy, as described by the book, is some kind of substance which surrounds this world. It¡¯s in everywhere: the air, the earth, the atmosphere, the sea¡­Those were called Outer Souls, while living beings also have soul energy within their body, which was called Inner Souls to separate from the outer ones. The reason is due to how the inner soul energy was perceived by those who studied it.

    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    During my first time hearing the word ¡¸Soul energy¡¹, I imagined it to be nothing more than a fancy name for Mana and the likes, but according to what was written in this book, that doesn¡¯t seems to be the case. While Mana usually come from the user¡¯s soul, soul energy however required not just that. The schoolars in this world found out soul energy is the combination of both the energies that came from a living being¡¯s soul AND body. In their theory, while the body is the vessel for a soul to inhabits, it¡¯s not exactly what binds those two together to form a complete living being. Thus, when the body¡¯s energy and the soul¡¯s met, they fused together to become soul energy, and that became the link between the soul and the body. The schoolars summarized the concept soul energy as ¡°the chain that binds one¡¯s soul and flesh¡±.

    If I have to put this in layman¡¯s term, then soul energy would be ¡°duct tape in mana form¡± in order to keep your soul from finding a more handsome and better body to inhabit.

    Then, when the long-winged explanation of soul energy ended comes the long-winged explanation of how magic actually works. I hope this is not rocket science.

    After thirty minutes of reading, I have come to realise that the the essence and the fundamental of Magic come from soul energy manipulation and ¡¸Ancient Tongue¡¹ language.

    What was written here isMagic is nothing more than just a mere recreation of the old Ancient Devils¡¯s power. The book doesn¡¯t go too much in details, but from what I know, I guess the current Devils don¡¯t possess the same magical strength their old ancestors had, until they went extinct or something like that. That being said, I guess due to being more historical than magic explanation, the authors didn¡¯t bother to put more details in the book. If I wish to learn more, I have to learn this world¡¯s history first.

    Okay, here¡¯s the real deal about magic.

    As I just said, one of the essence and fundamental of Magic is ¡¸Soul energy manipulation¡¹. In other words: How to use your Mana. The most stereotype way of using Magic in my head usually is just using your own Mana within your body as the cost and wreck shits. However, in this world¡¯s magic, it¡¯s just half of the work. While their names are a little differents, inner soul and outer soul are still the same type of energy. The recipe for magic here is: Using your inner soul to gather outer soul energy as fuel, perform your chant using the Ancient Tounge and then you can wreck shits and beat up fools.

    Let¡¯s put it this way, there¡¯s this noob mage called Akuma. He only knows the Fireball spell, which requires 10 MP to successfully cast. The thing is, Akuma the Mage only have 5 MP in his disposal. That usually would be a problem, right ? Most games I heard of don¡¯t allow you to use spells you don¡¯t have enough mana to cast. But this isn¡¯t the case in this world. Even if you only have 5 MP, you can however use those same 5 MP to gather 5 MP in the air, combine those together and use that as the cost to perform the Fireball spell and throw them at the bad guys. Hooray, victory for Akuma the noob mage!

    That being said, the old-fashioned way of just using your own mana¡­err¡­soul energy pool within your body is also a legit way of using magic. But the authors have written a line here which said ¡°beware of severe consequences when using too much of inner soul¡±.

    ¡°Hey Deborah, what is the severe consequences from using too much inner soul energy?¡±

    ¡°Oh that. It usually ranges from rotting and decaying your body, or just make your soul completely disappear and leave your body slowly dying as an empty husk. Nothing seriously though.¡±

    ¡°Phew¡­now that¡¯s a relief.¡±

    I guess if Akuma the Mage did perform the 10 MP Fireball spell by using all of his own 5 MP, the ensuring result probably won¡¯t be very pretty. Suck for you, Akuma the Mage.

    They have a point, though. Soul energy is what binds the body and the soul together, weakening it from using too much magic isn¡¯t exactly a good idea.

    Okay, now that settled the soul energy manipulation. Here comes the Ancient Tounge part.

    To put it in layman¡¯s term, again, it¡¯s nothing more than a type of Abracadabra. You chant the spell you want to perform in Ancient Tounge, then the world would do the rest for you. Each spells required a different chants to perform, thus all those who wish to learn Magic also need to learn this ancient language. The properties of the spell usually come from the used words and how you speak it. Like, if you need to throw a fireball, the required chant would be something like ¡°Gather flames in my hand for I intend to frysome poor bastards with it¡± blah blah, but only in Ancient Tounge.

    What to know more about the Ancient Tounge is rather than something the Ancient Devils invented, it¡¯s actually the language of Gods. The authors said that while Magic is an attempt to recreate the Ancient Devils¡¯s powers, they did so by asking the help from Gods through the use of this ancient language. Complicated stuff.

    There are several examples of the language in this book. Suprisingly though, I can already understand them without any difficulty. The writing is different, the reading is also different, yet I have no problem reading nor speaking it. For some reason, I know it is different from the language people here use, yet I can use both as ease while still be able to tell the difference. Strange¡­

    ¡°Hey Deborah. That day, Amadia used her spells without chanting, right? How can she do that?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s simple. It¡¯s due to her affinity with the element she use. As you may have guess, her affinity is strong with Lightning element, thus, she have no problem using Lightning magic with out chanting.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    So if your elemental affinity is compatible with the spells you use, you may be able to skip the chanting and went straight to the awesome part. Cool. I wonder what is my elemental affinity though.

    I sip another drink before I go back to study. Never before have I found reading a textbook would be so much fun.

    The next part is the categories of Magic. There are two main types of magic, and three minor branches.

    The two main types are ¡¸Verbal Magic¡¹ and ¡¸Image Magic¡¹. Verbal magic is roughly what I just explained earlier. It is basically the use of Ancient Tongue to manipulate the result from using magic with the fusion of inner and outer soul energy as the cost. It¡¯s the ¡°mainstream¡± type of Magic, and the most frequently used. The other however, despite being one of the main types, is far less popular due to how impractical it is. Image Magic is just a fancy name for the use of magic circles, runes, rituals and the likes. Yeah, the mages here don¡¯t produce runes or magic circles as they use their spells, it¡¯s just plain Abracadabra and boom. The stereotypical magic circles aren¡¯t that easily made in this world, you have to do it manually, drawing them to the ground using your own soul energy as paint.

    As Verbal Magic customizes the properties of its magic through the use of words, the Image Magic customizesits through the use of imagesand runes of arcane words.Two of the few pros of Image Magic is you have more liberties in customizing your magic, and the cost of energy is only during the drawing part, as it uses the outer soul energy in the air to operate, thus making it very cost-effective. Doesn¡¯t makeit any better in the eyes of most mages, though. Most people will be deadif they start doodling like a madmanon the battlefield in plain sight.

    Let¡¯s put it this way for example: You have two way to produce a fireball, one is using your own mana and the air¡¯s then you just have to say some nonsense words, the other is taking your time to draw a complex circle, which requires less mana but more time and yet the end results isn¡¯t that much different from the other way. It isn¡¯t hard to see why most prefer the Verbal type of Magic. That being said, there¡¯re still ways to effectively use Image Magic. Due to how easily customizable and tactical-friendly it is, one of those is using them as traps.

    Now comes the three minor branches.

    The three branches is this world¡¯s way of categorizing magics. Those three are ¡¸Offensive magic¡¹, ¡¸Defensive magic¡¹, and lasty, ¡¸Support magic¡¹.

    Offensive magic is¡­offensive magic, really. Fireballs, Snowstorms, Meteor Falls, Ultim*, M*gidolaon¡­it¡¯s as simple as that. If you hurt your enemy either physically or mentally through the use of spells, it¡¯s counted as offensive magic. Of course, due to how people always suddenly become so creative and innovative when it comes to killing people in differents ways, there are tons of offensive spells available to those who wish to learn, and that¡¯s just the common ones. There¡¯re still many secrets and unique magics outside of what written in your work borks. This world is a vast place indeed.

    Defensive magic is also like what it sounds. The magic categorized here is defensive in nature. Barriers making, protective shields making, traps making, enhancement¡­For some reason, even healing spells are categorized as defensive magic. There is something noteworthy about this type of magic though. It¡¯s about the Shield magic. There are actually three types of shields, one to protect against physical attacks, one to protect against magical attacks, the last one is to shield against both types of attacks. Pretty neat, heh? It is said in this book that the hybrid Shield magic is actually weaker than the other two, and it¡¯s recommended to use a shield matching your enemy¡¯s attack type. Reasonable enough.

    Support magic¡­I can¡¯t find another word other than ¡°Mundane¡± to described this branch. Spells that don¡¯t have much combat use in the battlefield are usually called Support magic. Like spells that make transporting stuff easier, or help remembering things¡­Or should I say, if they don¡¯t have much use for battles, they are counted as Support magic. Suprsingly, for some reason, Summoning magic is also categorized as Support magic.

    It¡¯s almost lunch time. I guess I¡¯ll have to take a break eventually, but let me finish this part first.

    The last thing I want to learn about is the classification of magic, or rather, how to rank their power level. There are ten classes of magic, ranging from ¡¸Class One¡¹ ¨C the weakest to ¡¸Class Ten¡¹ ¨C the strongest. From what was written here, I can tell that Class Ten magics are the magical equivalent of nukes in my own world. That being said, there aren¡¯t many mages strong enough to successfully cast them, and they still require insane amount of preparations and soul energy in order to use, render them extremely impractical. Class One is also known by the name as ¡°piss-easy magic¡±, the type of magic anyone can use as long as they know how to read and speak Ancient Tongue, which is pretty much everyone in this world. From this book, I also learn that in order to enroll to a Magic Arts department in any school, you have to at least be able to perform a Class Three magic. Those who could use spells from Class Three and above are called Mage. When someone reached the Class Eight barrier, they become an Archmage. If it¡¯s Class Nine, they are called Sage, and if they are able to cast a Class Ten magic, their title would become Archsage.

    That being said, it¡¯s not like I could perform magic higher than Class Three, anyway. Hell, I doubt that I could even use Class Two magics.

    ¡°So, did you understand everything written in those books.¡±

    Deborah jumps out from her bed the moment I started yawning fromtiredness.

    ¡°Pretty much. I can even recite spells in Ancient Tongue at this point.¡±

    That pretty much confirms I inherited some Magic knowledge from the girl. The problem is whether or not I could put them into good practical use.

    ¡°I see. Well, it¡¯s actually a good thing, though. Takes away the pain of teaching you from basic.¡±

    ¡°You will become a very good teacher in the future, you know ?¡±

    ¡°I know, right!¡±

    Deborah gives out a laugh. I¡¯m not sure if she¡¯s serious about her intention though, or it¡¯s just another snide comment of hers.

    ¡°Let¡¯s take a little lunch break. Since you¡¯ve done with the text books for now, we¡¯ll go straight to practice this afternoon.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the word I''d like to hear.¡±

    And thus, my study continues, after I torture myself with a meal, of course.

 Chapter 6: A wander wandering in the fog

    Life ain¡¯t full of fun and rainbow. That, I know full well. Still, it¡¯s pretty sad to see that all my expectations of throwing fireballs left and right had finally went through the window.

    Just because you know people die when you stab their chest with a knife doesn¡¯t mean you will become a professional assassin in a blink of an eye. It¡¯s similar to my case as even though I inherited Deborah¡¯s vast knowledge about magic, I still cannot perform the easiest baby-tier magics during the practice yesterday.

    Deborah said that in order to use magic, I have to concentrate with your mind to use your soul energy. Well, I did what she said, but no matter how hard I concentrated, nothing came out. Deborah noted that due to me only possessed soul energy recently, so I haven¡¯t got enough time to get used to it, while the native residents of this world were already born with it, thus made it easier for them to use magic.

    Long story short, Ihave yet to be able to perform magic.

    That day ended when both Deborah and I gave up on practicing further. The planfor today is the same as yesterday: Learn and keep practicing magic. That was the plan, until some unexpected things happened on this morning.

    Deborah was forced to show up for class.

    Apparently, the teachers were pretty pissed when she ditched their classes yesterday. Deborah didn¡¯t tell me all the details, but from what I heard, it seems like coming from a prestige family net you a reputation to uphold, and for a big shot like her, ditching classes wasn''t the best way to keep the face for your family. This is something I know well, maybe too well, in fact¡­

    It wouldn¡¯t be a problem if only Deborah is absent. Yeah, all I need to do is keep reading more books about magic in her room and keep practicing by myself. That would be my intended plan alright. At least until I too was called out by A-1¡¯s class president, who is a face that I know full well - Iola Moreau.

    Yep, that Iola, that shy girl in the cafeteria that day, is my class¡¯s class president. I wondered who died and made her the class¡¯s boss.

    Back to the thing at hand, she came to see me in order to convey a request from the faculty office, which was asking about the answer for my Department of choice. Due to the unbalanced ratio of the periods between the common and specialized classes, it is not recommended for cadets to stay Department-less for a long, which is of course my current status as a newcomer.

    The War Arts, Magic Arts and Alchemy Arts. Three options, and I have to make my choice for today. Despite the upcoming duel, it seems this school doesn¡¯t hold any punches when it comes to students management.

    And that¡¯s how I ended up wandering alone in this huge castle they called a school, or academy, whatever.

    It¡¯s still in study hours, so there are no students or teachers in the hallway. Only I - a clueless guy with no idea where to go - am standing there. It would be nice if there¡¯s someone I can talk to, or if I have a map in my possession. But life doesn¡¯t works that way, doesn¡¯t it ? Gifts that could solve your problems don¡¯t instantly fall from the sky for every five steps you take. This isn¡¯t a novel, afterall. I can¡¯t expect nice things would be served to me on a silver platter.

    ¡°Well, I am not a kid who still gets lost in the supermarket anymore.¡±

    I whisper to myself. Right, gotta think positive. It¡¯s just a castle, right? A castle twice the size of Himeji Castle, with numerous hallways and rooms across all of its land. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m asking to get lost, right¡­? I mean, if I can find my way to the guys¡¯s bathhouse which is located in the opposite of the girls¡¯s dorm, then how hard can it be to find a simple faculty office?

    ¡°Yes. Gotta think positive.¡±

    As soon as I make up my mind, I begin to depart for the faculty office, all while wondering what Department should I pick. Though it would be a good idea if I go and observe those Departments first. I know I¡¯m not the physical type, so the War Arts is definitely not a choice. There¡¯re still Magic Arts and Alchemy Arts, but with my current progress, I doubt I would prosper if I choose Magic Arts as my Department. That leaves Alchemy as the only viable choice left.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Still, even though I know what is the only choice for me right now, I still want to see how those Departments are doing.

    Wandering across the lonely hallways, asking a few skeleton janitors along the way, after a while, I end up in someplace that could be called the castle¡¯s courtyard. But instead of beautiful gardens, the castle¡¯s courtyard in front of my eyes was modified to function as a barren, empty field for the school¡¯s physical activities.

    A cool breeze flows by from the outdoor sky. It¡¯s rather cold, actually. While my black cloak does a good job protecting my body from the cold, my face however is laid bare unprotected. I breath out a while trail of smoke in the air. Is it winter already? There¡¯s stil no signs of snow, however.

    Yet despite the cold, there are a bunch of guys still working out in the courtyard. A work out session under the cold weather, sounds like the go-to recipe for a clich¨¦ manly physical training session. Yes, but it seems like those guys aren¡¯t satisfied with just that, so they take things up to eleven by throwing away their cloaks and shirts while practicing fighting techniques under the cold weather half-naked. So hardcore.

    I wonder if this class¡¯s name is How to get a cold 101.

    ¡°Hyaaahhhh!!¡±

    Most of the students in this courtyard are guys, what a disappointment. They form lines based on their weapon of choice while practicing basic fighting techniques. Each time a line make a move, they all yell in unison like a real hotblooded army. The most common weapons they use are spears, axes and swords. All of the weapons were made from iron, not wood, though there are no signs of sharpness in those weapons. Of course, you wouldn¡¯t want to practice fighting with something that could easily cut your flesh off, right? If they want it that way then they just have to use real weapons to go at each other.

    ¡°Gyaahhh!¡±

    There are no sign of any teachers in this field, most students are practicing by themselves despite the absence of their teacher. What discipline they have. Though the same can not be said for all the students currently in the courtyard.

    In the back of the courtyard, there¡¯s currently a noisy crowd gathering around of something. They pique my curiosity, so I walk closer to observe what is happening.

    After finding an ideal spot to become an onlooker, I throw a look into the center of the crowd.

    Inside the center, there lie two guys standing five meters apart from each other. One is a huge, muscular green-skinned man, with some tusks in the lower jaw of his mouth and black hair braided with some beads. An orc, I presume. Without those exotic racial features however, the orc would totally look like an incredibly manly hunk. The orc man¡¯s figure can make any body builders back in my world flee with shame. The guy is almost two meters tall, towering over the guy in front of him. He is also naked on his top, while wearing a brown leather pant along with simple boots. In his left hand is an iron axe, a blunt and somewhat harmless axe, but I doubt nobody would think it¡¯s just a child¡¯s toy in the hand of an imposing orc like him.

    His opponent could be called a dwarf if we compare him to the orc, that is only to him though, because that young man is also pretty tall in normal standard. It seems like fate just have to pull another joke on me today, because the guy in question is in fact Caelan Eberstark ¨C the class clown whom I met just the day before yesterday. Like most of the other guys in the courtyard, he too is also shirtless and laid bare his chest for others to see. While not exactly impressive, Caelan still got some muscles and abs on his somewhat skinny torso. That doesn¡¯t make him less imposing than the orc, though, thanks to various subtle but observable old scars on his naked body. Caelan wields an iron spear on his right hand, and an iron sword on the other. Dual-weilding two weapon with different properties, I wonder how that could work.

    No warning shots, no referee, the fight between the young devilman and the orc begins the moment Caelan rushes toward his opponent, with a bright and idiotic smile on his lips. The orc, still remain stoic, readies his axe in a defensive stance while waiting for his opponent to strike. And he does. One thurst. Using his spear on the right, Caelan aims and thursts his spear at the orc¡¯s face. The orc doesn¡¯t even bat an eye even in the face of danger, he calmly deflects the thrust, not with his axe, but with the back of his wrist. Aiming at the shaft, he bashes the spear using minimal force, yet still be able to deflect a spear thursted at him with full force away.

    Despite the failure of his first attack, Caelan still maintains his facade of joy and amusement. The moment an opening shows up when the orc counters his thurst attack, Caelan swings the sword on his left hand, aiming at the orc¡¯s stomach with a slash attack that can even cut the air into half. Victory seems to be in Caelan¡¯s hand in that moment.

    CLANG!

    Yet, the orc isn¡¯t someone to be underestimated. Despite the blazing speed of Caelan¡¯s sword, the orc easily blocks the attack with his own axe. A little sparkappearsthe moment both weapon trade blows with each other. At this moment, the stoic face of the orc changes into asubtlesmile. It is an unfortunate cue that he is going to counterattack, with his elbow.

    Yes, using his right elbow, the orc attacks Caelan. Despite trying to block the attack using his weapon, Caelan still gets hit hard. He staggeres for a moment after taking an attack to the face. The orc doesn¡¯t let that small window slips by his head. He readies his axe to the left backside of his body, getting himself to an offensive stance similar to the Waki-gamae stance in Kendou.

    ¡°Uohhhhhhhh!!¡±

    The orc lets out a battle cry. His roar makes the ground tremble for a brief moment. If you stand in the side near his back, you could see that his blood veins have fully gather in his left arm. Like a mad War God readied to deliver judgement on his enemy, the Orc performs an uppercut with his blunt iron axe, using such force that make you wonder if he could cut the earth appart. In an desperate attempt to defend himself, Caelan pulls his spear and sword back to perform an X-shaped guard form. Both of their weapons clash. However, the fight is decided the moment Caelan gets himself pulled up by the force of the Orc''s attackand blows him up to the sky, five meters from the ground along with his weapon and ends up not far from the place he begun the fight.

    Their duel has settled. An overwhelming victory for the stoic orc. Caelan doesn¡¯t look like he stand a chance against a guy like him.

    Despite the odds however, after taking such an attack directly, one can hear a loud laugh coming from Caelan, who¡¯s still lying on the ground after getting himself beaten.

    ¡°Ahahaha. As expected of the famed Koros Hafner. You put other guys in our class to shame.¡±

    The orc named Koros Hafner just closes his eyes while he gives out a brief smile as his silent answer.

    ¡°So¡­¡±

    Caelan jumps off from the ground and takes on his weapons again. There is no sign that he is heavily affected by the attack earlier.

    ¡°Shall we get serious then?¡±

    Caelan takes a lower stances, readies his weapons like that of a praying mantis. For some reason, I can feel a faint sign of soul energy in this stance of his. The orc¡¯s answer to Caelan is also readies his weapon and back to the defensive stance earlier, preparing himself for round two of this fight. And he too reaks out some soul energy from his body.

    Still, before their fight gets started again, a loud, very loud voice suddenly appears, ringing the ears of those who are unfortunate enough to stand near the source.

    ¡°What the hell are you maggots doing!?¡±

    A shadow jumps out from the crowd, weilding two¡­bricks(?) on both of his hand. The guy who just appear suddenly smashes the Orc¡¯s head with the brick on his right, and Caelan¡¯s head with the other. While the orc doesn¡¯t seem to faze even by a bit, Caelan however is dropped down to the ground, again.

    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.¡°Are you maggots idiots or what ? I just went to the toilet for ten minutes and yet you maggots started fighting again! Is my order that hard to obey? Just practice, practice and more practice! What should I do to stop you maggots from getting more idiotic by day!?¡±

    He could start by stop smashinghis pupils¡¯ head with bricks.

    And yes, the loud-mouthed guy who just appears is the head of the War Arts Department ¨C Mr.Bjarni Lodbrok. Of course, he¡¯s also half-naked like every other guys standing in this courtyard, except for me. Why am I not surprised to see this is his class?

    ¡°I apologize for this little¡­mess of mine, teacher Lodbrok. It¡¯s not Caelan¡¯s fault for proposing a practice duel, it¡¯s my fault for accepting such thing to begin with.¡±

    ¡°No no, Mr.Lodbrok. If you have to punish someone, please punish me! It¡¯s all because I want to have a duel with him so¡­¡±

    The bearded muscular man crosses his arms while thinking about how to resolve this situation. Though that doesn¡¯t take longer than five seconds. As loud as how he entered the scene earlier, Bjarni announces his verdict.

    ¡°That¡¯s it! I don¡¯t care who¡¯s at fault here. For you maggots, the answer is always just one. That is punishment! Ten laps around the school. Now run you maggots!¡±

    The man shouts again, hurriedly forcing both Caelan and the orc to run their asses off. Despite all that, both of them just put a smile on their face like this punishment of theirs is nothing more than daily chores.

    ¡°And you guys too! How dare you let such fight unfold before your eyes, and you even held a bet on top of that! Ten laps for you maggots too! And the result from your bet shall be confiscated to the class fund!¡±

    Despite the boo coming from the onlooking students, after Bjarni pulled some WWE-tier wrestling moves on several guys to make an example, all of them instantly run their asses off before he make them his next practice sandbag. What a lively class this is.

    ¡°Shall I take my laps too despite not being a part of your class?¡±

    After all the students here ran off for their punishment, I approach Bjarni before he gets even me involved to the running practice.

    ¡°Well of course you too !...Ehh, why, isn¡¯t it Akuma ?¡±

    Bjarni lowers his voice after he turns to my direction.

    ¡°What is your business here? Observing my class for your choice in Departments?¡±

    The guy is surpsingly sharp.

    ¡°Yes, Mr.Lodbrok. It¡¯s actually a coincidence that I stumbled upon your class today, though.¡±

    ¡°Ha ha. So, how was it ? Lively, isn¡¯t it. If you think this is lively, then you¡¯re dead wrong. Today is just a somewhat boring day for the class. Just you wait until an ordinary class of mine.¡±

    I¡¯m not sure if that would be a good sign.

    ¡°Why did you make your students practice half-naked in the cold, Mr.Lodbrok?¡±

    ¡°To toughen them up, of course! If you can¡¯t even handle a little cold then you should never pride yourself as a warrior of the War Arts Department ! Also, it helps for communication between classmates. MANLY COMMUNICATION, that is.¡±

    Is he talking about how people bond when they get into difficult situations?

    ¡°Since you¡¯re here already, shall I enlighten you on this Department of ours then? Can you use a weapon, Akuma?¡±

    If what he meant is swords, spears or such then the answer is no.

    ¡°I saw some back in my old world. But I don¡¯t now how to use any of them.¡±

    Of course, richman everywhere have weird tastes, and to have some decoration swords is the go-to clich¨¦ when you talk about a rich guy living in a mansion. And unfortunely, my father is such a man to an insane degree, so there are some pairs of swords that are used as decoration near our fireplace, and that''s only the start...

    ¡°I see, what a pity. But maybe it¡¯s your fists that are strong! There exist several physical type familiars, after all!¡±

    Too bad, I tried punching a wall before during my confinement in this world, the resultwasn''t pretty at all.

    ¡°As you can see already, Akuma. Our Department deals with the education ofphysical combat for the students. No matter the weapon they choose, we will make the best out of their abilities to make them master their techniques to the utmost. Be they swords, spears, axes, hammers, shields, bows¡­we will teach them everything we can to mold them into fine warriors worthy of our school! After all, they will become the bulk of the forces defending our realm¡¯s most important warzone¨C the Dark Line.¡±

    ¡°The Dark Line?¡±

    Sounds important enough from the sound of it.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t know of such thing? What have you been doing for all thosedays you got?¡±

    ¡°I studied magic.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right¡­Those mages never give a damn to things other than their researchs, I forgot. But no worry, for I shall enlighten you on this subject! It is my duty as a teacher to teach, afterall!!¡±

    Bjarni takes a wooden branch on a nearby ground and uses it to doodles on the earth.

    ¡°More than a hundred years ago, a war broke out between Demon Realm and Heaven Realm, again like it has been for thousands of years before. This time our force took the intiative and crossed theFloating Sea for an invasion on our enemy¡¯s own soils! It was a success, and we had sucessfully invaded the frontline nation of the Heaven Realm ¨C Metallum, the Kingdom of Metal. Using that nation as the base, we launched numerous invasion attempts on the nearby countries, yet only a handful could be counted as success, thanks to the intervention of their Heroes. So, our Demon King got dispatched in order to deal with them.¡±

    So the Demon King vs Heroes is still a thing in this world, interesting.

    ¡°Our King did very well against the heroes. The more they come, the more they fell before him. Yet, their persistency was top notch, even with our King taking on the field, those bastards didn¡¯t yield and keep on fighting. Even though they are the enemy, I respect that foolishness of theirs. Thus, the war continued as a war of attrition. And that¡­became our failure.¡±

    As he keeps talking, Bjarni continues to draw a simplified map on the ground with his wooden stick. For a brutish-looking man as him, his drawing is suprisingly beautiful for a ground drawing. It¡¯s easy to look, easy to understand yet at the same time is a little pretty for the eyes to feast on. He even draws a flower as decoration!

    ¡°The moment the war turned into a war of attrition, everything quickly ended. The supplies routes from the Demon Realm were slowers than that of our enemies. When our armies got weak for long periods of fighting, they rallied their forces and allies for counterattacks. Things probably wouldn¡¯t looked so bad since we have the Demon King, but the unexpected happened. He was attacked and defeated by a young group of daring heroes, and while he survived the encounter, they dealt some unhealable wounds on him, rendering him incapable of fighting for the rest of the invasion. And thus, one by one, we lost our gained territories and netted ourselves a counter-invasion, thanks to the Heaven Realm¡¯s reserve armies.¡±

    After Bjarni finished drawing his map, he crossed a line from a part of the demon¡¯s realm¡¯s continent.

    ¡°The war continued to break out on our own soils. Weakened by many years fighting onforeign lands, we lost our territories to those bastards. The Dark Line is the border which we were able to hold the line, preventing them from invading further. There were several small wars happened during this period, but not even oncewas the line broken. We have a temporary ceasefire since ten years ago, and so, aside from small conflicts here and there, the war, called the Hundred Years War, still hasn¡¯t ended. Whether it continues or not is just a matter of time. That¡¯s why we warriors have to train to surpass our own limits! For one day it will be us who will stand on the battlefield and defend the Realm with our lives !¡±

    It¡¯s pretty clich¨¦, but still an interesting story nonetheless. This world¡¯s Demon Realm isn¡¯t that scary or strange as I thought, they¡¯re pretty human-like themselves, despite fighting against the so-called humans. If so, then what of this world¡¯s humans¡­I wonder.

    ¡°Let me summarize this Dark Line thing for you a bit. It¡¯s avast defense network made up from numerous outposts across the front line, acting as the line of defense. Using the Melas academy as the main base, we can provide constant supplies and reinforcements to maintain the front line. With this system, when some outposts get attacked, the other ones will get alerted, and reinforcement from other outposts and in the worst case, the academy¡¯s reserve forces itself, will get mobilized to quickly deal with the attacking enemy without dropping down our defenses, since other outposts can cover the holes left by the mobilization of our reinforcement.¡±

    On the north and south side of the Melas academy, there are lines and lines of mountains, thus make it hard to traverse armies through the land for an invasion. The easiest path to enter the Demon Realm''s interior land is through Melas Castle, but crossing the Dark Line where these demons are defending with their lives won''t be an easy task for the human armies.

    ¡°We of the Melas Academy have a very important mission, that is to protect this Academy and the Dark Line, in that order, to the death! It¡¯s not just the soldiers'' duty, but the students too. That¡¯s why, you should be proud of yourself to be a Melas cadet!¡±

    Though this world¡¯s politics and wars doesn¡¯t concern me, the teacher¡¯s words however make mereally feel compelled toenlist to their cause and fight together with them. Well, just a little bit.

    ¡°We warriors are the first man to serve and the last man to die. That is our creed, represented by our War Arts Department¡¯s crest.¡±

    ¡°You guys have your own crest?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±

    Bjarni walks to a pile of cloaks nearby on the ground and take out an armband attached on one of the cloak before showing it to me.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know of this?¡±

    ¡°An armband?¡±

    I know my eyes aren¡¯t the best in the world, but to think I don¡¯t even know the students have armbands on their arm is just¡­

    ¡°Every students from their own Department are required to wear these armbands as an identification of their chosen Department. In our case, this is our Department¡¯s symbol.¡±

    The armband Bjarni showed me is a black one, with a white circle act as an outer ring, along with a sword, a spear and an axe banded together as a symbol, making it look similar to that of a peace sign back in the war eras of my world.

    ¡°The unity of warriors, no matter their chosen path of fighting, weapons, ideologies, races, still band together for a common cause. That is the symbol that represent us warriors of Melas!¡±

    ¡°Chosen path¡­?¡±

    That sounds like another branch of techniques, like those magics I learned yesterday.

    ¡°There is the Wrath Path, the Patience Path, and the Calm Path. The were represented by those three weapons on our symbols. The Axe is Wrath, the Spear is Patience, and the Sword is Calm. It¡¯s just for symbolism, though. It¡¯s not like every guy who use axes is a practitioner of the Wrath Path.¡±

    I guess he meant Koros Hafner, the ealier orc?

    Speaks of the devil. The moment the thought about that guy runs through my head, Koros and Caelan appear when they finish their punishment, with the earlier onlookers follow behind in a trail, finishing roughly the same time.

    ¡°Seems like our times it up. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re interested in my Department, but it would be a pleasure for me to have you as one of my maggots, heh heh. If you do, you and I and those bunch of maggots shall have more MANLY COMMUNICATION in preparation for the frontier!¡±

    As much as I admire their devotion for the frontier, I¡¯m more worried about my rear guard, though.

    No goodbyes, Bjarni just leaves my side after his students return to the field,he probably knows I can¡¯t pick his Department as my choice. Despite that, a smile still appear on his face as he approach his students for more lessons.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    This place is too good for me.

    Thus, I continue my search for a fitting department, a choice, for the uncertain future ahead.

 Chapter 7: A chat about meaningless things

    After I bid farewell to merry band of hot-blooded fighters, once again, I find myself back into the labyrinth that is Melas castle. The hallways are silent, devoid of life and sound, making the near-Winter cold even more intolerable. If this place wasn''t a school as it currently is, I wonder how lonely it would be if one have to live alone in this vast and old castle.

    I keep walking in a slow pace, aimlessly wandering toward places I do not know. For a brief moment, I forget about the upcoming duel, about my life, about everything, and let my curiosity take charge to lead me ahead, toward the uncertainty on the road. Like a lost child inside a mythical forest, waiting for a chance to stumble upon the rabbithole and end up in some sort of Wonderland.

    I¡¯m not sure if fate is messing with me, but after a while, I find myself stopping near a huge classroom, not unlike a lecture hall from the universities back in my world. The fate part kicks in when I catch glimpse of a familiar figure in this class. A girl with long, dark red hair, sitting at the farthest corner of the class as she silently reads a book. I don¡¯t need a lucky guess to realize that is my ¡°Master¡±, Deborah Draconis.

    So, this is her specialized class, I presume?

    The teacher in charge of the class is spouting several complicated terms in his lecture while using some kind of 3D image projector, operated by a strange crystal-powered device on his desk. The students in this class are pretty focused on the lecture, some even write notes without averting their eyes. The serious atmosphere isn¡¯t any different than a cram schoolbefore the testseason, which makes Deborah look even more like an oddball compared to her other classmates. If you actually think about it, rather than being focused, it¡¯s more like Deborah is actually spending her time slacking off, minding her own business while her classmates are still busy studying like diligent, model students.

    ¡°Not a very exciting sight, I guess?¡±

    I jerk back a bit aftersomeone whipsered into my earout of nowhere. It¡¯s pretty lucky that I managed to avoid screaming. I mean, when a ghastlywoman wearing a grey drag-like robe suddenly whispers something in your ear behind your back, you¡¯ll usually run away screaming like a little girl, right?

    ¡°Did I surprise you?¡±

    ¡°Well yes you did.¡±

    I keep my voice low enough. Don''t want to alert the whole class of my presence, after all.

    The eerie appearance, blood red eyes, long silky dark hair, mixed with the strange witch-like costume in front of a tall and slender figure, all combined together makes a rather long lasting impression on my memory. I don¡¯t exactly remember her name, but it seems she¡¯s the one in charge of the Magic Arts Department, and of course, Amadia Deveraux.

    ¡°In case you don¡¯t remember who I am, my name is Walpurga Hausmannin.¡±

    Like she was reading my mind, the woman introduces herself.

    ¡°I suppose I don¡¯t need to introduce myself as well?¡±

    The woman giggles. She seems amused.

    ¡°Well yes, you¡¯re pretty famous these days¡­forbeing those two girls'' stepping stone, that is. Enjoy that fame while you can, it will fade into obscurity soon enough.¡±

    She doesn¡¯t have to remind me that. Though I certainly don''t know she can be blunt like this. In a sense, her honesty is like Bjarni, but in a less friendly way.

    ¡°So, what do you think about this magic class?¡±

    ¡°Looks boring. You may find more excitement at a funeral.¡±

    I speak out my mind. If she¡¯s being blunt then there¡¯s no reason for me to be modest as well.

    ¡°Of course, nobody like theory classes after all. It¡¯s pretty unfortunate that you just happen to stumbled upon a boring class like this. But I assure you, if you stay around longer, maybe you¡¯ll find magic ismore excitingthan chanting words and reading scrolls..¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take your advice to heart.¡±

    Provide that I can to get past the baby-tier magic bar, that is.

    ¡°As you can see. This is the Magic Arts Department, which of course, specialized in Magic. We train mages in many subjects of Magic. Mostly about magic of the five main elements.¡±

    ¡°Five main elements?¡±

    ¡°They are the primary elements that was chosen by the first of mages to represent this world¡¯s natural cycle of life. Those five are Fire, Water, Lightning, Wind and Earth. They were engraved on our Department¡¯s symbol to remind us of the basic elements that became the root of modern magic.¡±

    The teacher shows me an armband of her Department which she has hidden inside her robe. It has a five-pointed star in the middle of an circle. In each of the tip at the points of the star lies a simplified symbol of the elements that woman just said.

    ¡°Of course, magic isn¡¯t all about those five elements, nor there are only five elements in this world, but they do act as the fundamental elements that compose most of the substances in this world.¡±

    It''s probably the reason why Deborah made me try to perform a fire spell all these days. It¡¯s the basic among basics.

    ¡°Just as I expected.¡±

    I mutter to myself. Can these mages be more clich¨¦?

    I avert my eyes away from the woman for several seconds and gaze back to the class. Deborah is stilllost in thought as she keeps her full concentration inside thatbook of hers.

    ¡°Another day reading novel in class again, I see.¡±

    So that¡¯s a novel? The guts of her! For the grand moniker she has, I expected Deborah to be some kind of prim and proper model student that people look up to. Now that image has shattered in my eyes when I finally learn about her¡­habit in class.

    Though that¡¯s not exactly a bad thing. It would be a pain to ¡°serve¡± a goody-two-shoes Master.

    ¡°Is it alright for her to pull this kind of thing during class?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t want to strictly enforce our rules on our students. This school encourages apperception from it¡¯s students. If you want to go to an island far away in the sea without ships, either you learn how to swim, or stay away from the sea forever.¡±

    Sink or swim kind of education, I see.

    ¡°What actually matter are the tests. If she does well, then we will tolerate small things like this. And that girl did pretty well in the earlier midterm test to begin with. Although she doesn¡¯t seem to be the type who likes studying, getting good grades like that is rather suprising.¡±

    ¡°So, Deborah is the genius I-can-do-it-in-the-first-try type?¡±

    The woman smiles in pride of her student before replying.

    ¡°Not too far from the truth.¡±

    Does that make her my mortal nemesis then? Cause I¡¯m the type who cram my ass off whenever a test comes up and only get barely passable grades.

    ¡°You seem to pay a lot of attention for that girl, according to the way you just spoke of her.¡±

    I tell my thought out loud.

    ¡°Naturally, she¡¯s a pretty big shot of a character, after all. It¡¯s a given for eyes and ears everywhere to focus on her. Since she is a student in my Department, I cannot merely avoid paying attention to a girl like that even if I wanted to, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    The women chuckles.

    ¡°However, let that slide for a moment. Aren¡¯t you interested in that girl too, Akuma?¡±

    Me¡­interested in that girl? In what way?

    ¡°Is it love?¡±

    Walpurga¡¯s smile suddenly turns to a smirk, the type you can see from chatty housewives with nothing better to do.

    ¡°Well, I do have an interest in her, in a way. But love? No, that girl spouts death threats like she says good morning. One must be really crazy to interest in her that way.¡±

    My time here hasn''t been that long, but that girl did pique my interest. She rarely speaks of herself, while people aroundcan''t stop talking about her. Her origin, her powers, all of them make her a rather big mystery that keeps me yearning to uncover the truth.

    ¡°Ho ho, really?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, really.¡±

    I reply the woman.

    ¡°I guess that would put her admirers at ease. Some guys in this school would kill to stand in your shoes, you know? Maybe not just a metaphor, if you weren''t happened to be her familiar.¡±

    The woman doesn¡¯t pursue the topic furtheras she changes the subject.

    ¡°Anyway, we could say we are lucky that she chose to stay in this academy. She did get numerous invitations from other academies, especially from Flegma.¡±

    Other academies? Melas isn¡¯t the only one?

    ¡°There are other academies apart from this one?¡±

    I ask. This is the first time I heard of this. The way Bjarni told me makes it look like Melas is the only academy in the Demon Realm.

    ¡°So you don¡¯t know after all. Was your pact with her broken? Usually trivial knowledge like thisare engraved to the familiar¡¯s mind after the summoning.¡±

    Why did you ask me an answer that even Deborah doesn''t know of?

    ¡°I guess strange familiars have their own issues after all.¡±

    Well, she got that right.

    ¡°Well then, let me give you a brief lecture.¡±

    The woman leads me to a more quiet portion of the hallway before turning on her lecturer mode.

    ¡°There are actually four biggest academies in the whole Demon Realm that serve as educational institutes for its residents. These four are Melas, Sanguin, Kholler and Flegma. Each serves to train their students for a different purpose, but all have the same common goal that isultimately to serve the Demon Realm.¡±

    That¡¯s just the beginning of a rather long lecture, however. After fifteen minutes or so, her lecture comes to an end, and I just stand there, trying to piece things together in my head and keep myself from falling down the ground.

    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Let me summarize her lecture for easier comprehension.

    As she said, there are four main academy located around Demon Realm. That is Melas, Sanguin, Kholler and Flegma¡­Each has a different purpose and method when it comes to teaching stuff to their students.

    ¡¸Sanguin¡¹ is an academy made for war, as they train their students in the art of War and only for that purpose. They don¡¯t have any special branches like Magic or Alchemy Department or anything like that. That academy train their students into high-class warriors and officers capable of combating armies. A military school deep in its roots. It¡¯s like Ares the god himself has decided to give up fighting and went to make a school to teach people how to fight. Its representative color is also very fitting ¨C blood red ¨C that is also the color of their cloak uniforms, to remind them to bath in their enemies¡¯s blood whenever they march for war.

    ¡¸Kholler¡¹ is a more sophisticated place than Sanguin. It¡¯s more of a university than a military academy. This place specializes in Magic and Alchemy, be it theoretical research or practical experiment, with numerous infractures and manpower to serve that very purpose. While they do train combat mages and alchemists, they¡¯re primary involved in the R&D (Research and Development) for military use. The color that represent them is Gold ¨C the color of grandiose.

    ¡¸Flegma¡¹ is the most high-class of all the academies, or one would say, they are the ¡°elites¡±, the ¡°chosen ones¡± and the future of Demon Realm. Their entrance exam is top notch when it comes to difficulty. One either need to be rich and influential, which is mostly being a noble in this world, or is actually talented, to enroll in this school. They can also pick potential students from others academies to enroll in their school. This makes their size the smallest among the academies, yet also the one with the highest teaching and training quality. This school is multi-departments just like Melas, but the differences between them are like the night and the day. Due to being the elites among the elites, one who graduated from this school would have a high social standing in the Demon Realm. They usually become military officers, but that is the lowest position one would expected from students of Flegma. Their color of choice and uniform is White, as in infinite potential.

    That leaves only Melas left.

    As you may have guess, ¡¸Melas¡¹ is the bottom of the totem pole. The only good use this academy has is to serve as the shield for the rest of the Demon Realm. This academy has the highest enrollment rate out of all the academies, all because it has the lowest enroll requirements. The requirements is so low one would think they¡¯ll get accepted as long as they know how to write their name, pay the school¡¯s tution fee and is not a monkey. The reason for this is because of the nature of the academy itself: It serves at a fortress, so it requires its students to actively participate in the war as its own military force. Which means, you guess it: The school have low requirements because they need more cannon fodders to send to the battlefield. They are not so cruel to the point of sending fresh meats out to their death right at the bat however. All students are required to get one year of training in their Department of choice before they get drafted. Which means the reason why this school is such a ghost school because the 2nd and 3rd year students have already been sent to the Dark Line for battle. Thus, the color of this school, Black, is also very fitting for the purpose it carries.

    ¡°The elites, heh¡­?¡±

    Back to the topic at hand, as Miss Walpurga has said earlier, Deborah received numerous invitations from other academies, especially from Flegma. And yet, she¡¯s still here, studying among those that could be called her inferiors. Well, that probably would include me as well.

    ¡°For some reason, the girl turned down all the offers so far and stayedwith this academy to this day. That girl will go very far if she chooses to study at Flegma, you know?¡±

    Says Walpurga.

    ¡°Do you have a slightest hint of why she did that?¡±

    Of course, she¡¯s the head of the Department which Deborah studies in, and it hasn¡¯t even been a week long from the day I arrived here. Maybe that woman knows something I don¡¯t.

    ¡°I have heard several rumors from the Headmaster. It seems like rather than for the academy, that girl¡­she stays here because of this castle itself.¡±

    This castle¡­itself?

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°This castle¡­used to belong to the Great Demon King Dargoth.¡±

    That explains it. Of course the granddaughter of a Great Demon King would want to study and live in the castle that belonged to her grandfather. And yet, this actually brought more questions than answers. If it was her grandfather¡¯s castle, then why did it become an academy in the first place? If this place is indeed her grandfather¡¯s castle, doesn¡¯t that make this place Deborah¡¯s own property due to heritance? Yet, the girl doesn¡¯t seems to have any special privileges from her status that she deserves?

    ¡°The more you explain, the more mysterious her background become.¡±

    I reply to the woman.

    ¡°That girl is indeed mysterious. Other than being the granddaughter of Lord Dargoth, we hardly know anything about her. Everything I heard about Deborah came from the mouth of the Headmaster herself. Though, the Headmaster rarely spills more than what she wants you to hear, so even if you come there asking questions, you won¡¯t know anything more useful than what I have told you today.¡±

    ¡°True.¡±

    I still remember that night where she announced my verdict. That woman is indeed the type who knows more than she would tell people.

    ¡°I¡¯m still wondering, though. Why did you tell me all of this?¡±

    ¡°Because I enjoy chatting about meaningless things, fufu. Classes is in session right now, I¡¯m currently free of work and I don¡¯t have anyone to talk to. You were just happened to be here when I walked by.¡±

    Another wild chatterbox appears! She¡¯s like a female Bjarni if he¡¯s specialized in teaching magic and be more of a jerk.

    ¡°Beside, enough talk about her. You yourself is also an enigma in the eyes of others, you know?¡±

    I simply nodinstead of talking back. So the mysterious girl summoned an equally mysterious familiar. Is this fate or is this another joke of fate?

    ¡°Speaking of which, not just Deborah, but the girl you¡¯re gonna fight, Amadia, also got invited for enrollment in Flegma as well. But just like Deborah, that girl refused and insisted on staying here.¡±

    ¡°I definitely don¡¯t want to think she did that solely because of Deborah.¡±

    These girls just want to do things the hard way, heh? Walpurga however doesn¡¯t reply directly to my responseand makes a new question instead.

    ¡°Are you prepared to face my favorite student, Akuma? Have you train yourself and hone your skills before battle?¡±

    ¡°Well, training is part of the plan. But since I was forced to choose an Department of choice for myself today, so I haven¡¯t got the time to continue training.¡±

    ¡°So there¡¯s that¡­¡±

    The teacher begins to look deep in thought.

    ¡°Okay. You may go back to your room and continue your training. I¡¯ll do my best to reschedule the time for your choice to another day.¡±

    ¡°You can do that?¡±

    ¡°I may not be able to postpone it forever, but it¡¯s fine if it¡¯s just two or three days. Use that time wisely.¡±

    ¡°Thank you!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t thank me just yet, boy. I¡¯m doing this because I don¡¯t want Amadia to use a low-quality stepping stone prior to her fight with Deborah. Beside, the Headmaster herself also wants to see what you¡¯re capaple of.¡±

    ¡°I promise I won¡¯t dissapoint her.¡±

    I put a smile on my face. That is the only thing I¡¯m sure of right now.

    ¡°You better be, boy.¡±

    I nod as Ibegin to return to my room after the conversation. However, before I leave, that teacher gives me one final adivce.

    ¡°When it comes to concentration, if you can¡¯t concentrate hard enough, then just keep your mind blank and let your feelings drives you.¡±

    -----------------

    In the rest of the day and the day after that, I keep practicing basic magic. Namely, a simple fire spell. In the little time I have, no matter how hard I concentrate, nothing would come out from my hand except sweats. The day after that isn¡¯t much better, until I remember Miss Walpurga¡¯s advice. I use the remaining time trying to empty my mind, devoid of emotions and leave only a handful of feelings left.

    The hopeless training comes to an end when Imanagedto produced afleeting but warm tiny ball offire in my hand. Not the size of a normal fireball, but it¡¯s still something since it takesa form beffiting a fire, although as small as a burning match.

    Deborah congratulates me on performing a spell a three-years old kid can do in their sleep, only for me to remark that it would be dangerous if they are able to use spells like this easily.

    Still, let the mandatory snarky comment from Deborah aside, this is the first time I feel glad when I accomplished something.

    Yes, I can do this. I can survive in this would if I keep this up. I¡¯ll aim higher than that, of course, but for now, let me do what I can.

    And thus, the fateful day arrives.

 Chapter 8: A fight where destinies clash

    The chosen date is apparently the equivalent of Sunday in this world. There are no classes, giving the students a day to relax before the dreadful Monday comes once again. A break, heh? Sounds nice, but it¡¯s too bad, because this day is also the day Ican find myself literally ¡°broken¡± if I¡¯m not careful.

    The battle arena is located at the south-west part of the castle. Of course, with the name Arena, obviously Idon''t come here expecting it to have the size rivaling the Roman¡¯s famed Colosseum. This place isn¡¯t exactly small, roughly the size of a small indoor futsal field, but it nonetheless isn''t that impressive in term of size. From what I can see, the battle arena is round in shape, built from solid gray stones, with two gates located at the east and west respectively which act as entrances for the participants. Also, the amount of seats for spectators isn¡¯t thatastonishing either, it can barely hold about one hundred people at most. I have a feeling that rather than using this arena to serve a wide array of spectators, it was built for the castle¡¯s lord own entertainment, for simple duels instead of wide scale chaotic fights. But that isn¡¯t what I should concern about right now. I have a bigger fish to fry.

    Today, I¡¯m gonna have myduel with Amadia here. And depends on this fight¡¯s result, Deborah will have to fight as well if I happen to lose this fight. Though should I lose this fight, I may not be able to keep my life to have a front row for their cat fight. So my only concern right now is to win and live for another day. Failure is not an option.

    The challenger and the challenged are not allowed to meet before their big battle. I heard thatit''s an old tradition or such from the words of the Arena¡¯s guards. Because of that, they told me to wait in a waiting room before my turn to fight arrives. Visitors are allowed, so Deborah, along with Caelan and Iola come to give me some words of encouragement. Well, mostly Caelan and Iola. Deborah just stands there watching us talk.

    After both of them have said their parts, Deborah tell them to leave first and let her have a quick strategy briefing with me. They silently obey. Now, the only people in the waiting room are just me and Deborah.

    ¡°That girl¡­According to the intel I told Caelan to gather from gossips, that girl is the type who usually ends her fights within the first attack. Her lightning spells are fast, hard hitting and nigh-impossible to dodge. Also, there are no obstacles in the arena, which means no places for you to cover yourself. Of course, I know full well you¡¯re the type of fool who would attempt to outrun lightning bolts on foot, so that isn¡¯t exactly a bad news for you.¡±

    I let out a brief smile in respond without interuptting her briefing.

    ¡°Even with that, if she is forced into a prolonged battle, the girl can still project powerful protective barriers to defend herself. There are no special gimmicks in her battle style. Either she defeats her opponents with the first attack, or she goes the cautious way and switches between defense and offense. A simple-minded girl, doesn¡¯t make her any less dangerous though.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Seems like Deborah¡¯s report ends here. I gaze to her eyes and say my parts.

    ¡°Thank you for these informations.¡±

    I quietly sit tight while planning for countermeasures. Despite the end of her report, Deborah doesn¡¯t look like she has exhausted all of her conversations options with me.

    ¡°It¡¯s still not too late to forfeit, you know? The worst thing that would happen is for me to fight that girl, but that''s only for me. It won''t take long for the battle to end, but certainlyit won''t be short for you to recover, should you fall before her.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you already? I don¡¯t do things half-assed.¡±

    I answer.

    ¡°Now you¡¯re just being stubborn. I mean, what are you going to do out there beside being that girl¡¯s punching bag? Are you content with getting yourself injured or killed? What good is honor, dignity, pride when you¡¯re dead meat? Out of the many who put their lives at stake for the sake of glory, how many of them got remembered in history, and how many have their names lost to the endless flow of time?¡±

    ¡°Deborah¡­¡±

    So that¡¯s her way of view¡­

    ¡°I have no problem with cowards or being a coward. I think I even admire people whocan throw away their honor, dignity, pride just to live another day. Even if you do so, I won¡¯t judge you for this choice of yours. I won¡¯t even mind if I have to go there and fight that girl instead. All I ask of you¡­is just think about this a little more careful and wisely.¡±

    That girl sounds pretty worried. Well, her pet dog is gonna have a dog fight, I guess it¡¯s natural for a master for not wanting to see their pet got hurts, right?

    But it¡¯s too bad, because i¡¯m not her pet. I am myself, thus, I will decide how I want to live my life, not her.

    ¡°You¡¯re right. Dignity? Honor? Pride? That doesn''t mean anything when you¡¯re dead. It is natural for people to throw away everything in order to live another day. I can understand that.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯ll reconsider!?¡±

    ¡°HOWEVER!¡±

    Before her bright smile could shows itself on her lips, I interrupted Deborah with a big yell.

    ¡°I can''t throw away what I never have to begin with. Dignity, honor, pride¡­I have none, in my own world, and in this place. That is why¡­I will go out there to take them and make them mine!¡±

    That¡¯s right. Everything starts with zero, it¡¯s also my current status right now. I don¡¯t want to live under another¡¯s shadow anymore.

    Deborah¡¯s reaction begins with her enraged eyes and ends with a sadden frown. She turns herself away, without bothering to look back at me when she¡¯s talking.

    ¡°Fine. Fine then! Do what you want. Go out there and get yourself killed if you like it that much! Your life and death isn¡¯t of my concern to begin with anyway!¡±

    For all of her big talk, if she doesn¡¯t want to concern about me then she wouldn¡¯t have said such words like that. This girl doesn¡¯t know how to conceal her emotions, doesn¡¯t she.

    I let out a happy smile, knowing there¡¯s still Deborah behind my back. Yeah, I¡¯ll be fine living here if there¡¯re people like her around.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me. I nevergo for fights I don¡¯t have a shot at winning!¡±

    ¡°Even so¡­!¡±

    Before Deborahcan continue, a staff member of the arena comes inside the room and tells me I have to get ready, for the upcoming fight is only minutes away. That means Deborah has to leave right now. She looks a little disturbed, which isn¡¯t exactly something I want to see on her beautiful face.

    ¡°I¡¯ve told you once, and I will tell you again. I may not be able to defeat that girl within five seconds, but I swear, I won¡¯t make it last longer than ten!¡±

    ¡°¡­You better make it happen!¡±

    Says Deborah with a firm and solemn voice before she leaves. And when she does, I become the only one remaining in this room. However, the fight is gonna begin soon. I have little time left. But that¡¯s enough for me to have a moment with myself.

    I put my left hand on my right pocket, on the place where I keep that thing. My trusted insurance when I first came to this world.

    I can do this. If everything I planned fall into places, I can win this! There¡¯s no going back now. Either I take a risk with everything I have, or die trying.

    When the staff member tells me the time is up, I stand up and walk to the battlefield waiting in front of me.

    ------------------------------

    The crowd turn their attention to the fighting ring the moment a copper bell was rung. I walk from my side of the arena to the ring''s interior, while Amadia emerges from the gate opposite of mine, with a smile full of confidence and her gaze fixated on the little crowd across the Arena. A person holding a staff and shrouded in a set of grey cloak, masking almost every inch of their body, has already waiting for us at the center of the fighting ring. When both of us step on the ring, Amadia stops her feets and just stand there, waiting. Naturally, I also do the same. I turn my head to the spectator¡¯s seats. After several look, I finally findDeborah sitting on a bench along with Iola and Caelan, watching the battle unfold.

    Of course, as per tradition across both worlds, Caelan is having some snacks bought from the Arena¡¯svendors while urging the two girls beside him to have some, only to be turned down.

    ¡°I will now explains the rules.¡±

    The cloaked person speaks. The voice resembles that of an adult man. Maybe this guy is here to act as our match¡¯s referee.

    ¡°The rules are very simple: Victory will be decided when one among you is unable to continue the fight, either through exhaustion, defeat, surrender, or death. Killing your opponent however isn¡¯t recommended. You are free to use any magic or weapon as long as they are not classified as forbidden by the law. Also, there is no time limit, so keep fighting until a victor is decided. In order to ensure your safety, I will now cast upon you two a barrier armor to minimize the damage you may take.¡±

    Killing isn¡¯t recommended, that doesn¡¯t mean it is prohibited. I see, this is the reason for Deborah¡¯s worries. Well, even if I will get a magic armor of sort, with this frail human bodyof mine, I bet the minimum damage is enough to put an end to my life. She has every rights to get worried. And now I am worried as well. But it¡¯s already too late to turn back.

    The referee holds his staff high while chanting the spell. When he¡¯s done, he knocks the staff to the ground, and thus, a faint light surrounds both me and Amadia before disappearing. I feel nothing strange, though. That certainly doesn''t make my morale any better. Let¡¯s pray that the spell worked.

    ¡°The two of you may have a word with each other before the fight begins.¡±

    Says the referee. However, before I can say anything, Amadia has already took up the initiative. She points her finger toward the spectators - at Deborah in particular - and yells out loud:

    ¡°Deborah! The day has finally arrived! Our entangled destinies will be solved in this very day, right after this fight. Just wait there until I finish this battle!¡±

    ¡°A bold declaration, I see. However.¡±

    Just as how she taunted Deborah, I also points my finger toward Amadia¡¯s face as I myself announce my own intention.

    ¡°Your opponent right now is me!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. You are the one I should focus on right now¡­Deborah¡¯s familiar!¡±

    Amadia slowly turns to my direction. On her face, there is a smile of genuine happiness, but mixed with a bit excitement. Amadia is a very beautiful girl, she¡¯s not the sexy type as her succubus origin suggests, but rather, she¡¯s the cute type, especially when she has a warm smile that could melt the coldest heart. It¡¯s too bad that right now, she had become an opponent I have to defeat. A stepping stone for me if want to prove myself to this strange world I found myself into.

    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    ¡°I have finally heard about your status as Deborah¡¯s familiar. I wasn¡¯t there the day Deborah had her summoning, so I expected her to summon an Ancient Dragon or something of sort. But to think you were the thing that showed up¡­You¡¯re probably very strong yourself if you were summoned by Deborah.My apology to think you¡¯re just an unremarkable man at first.¡±

    The girl closes her eyes before continues.

    ¡°That is why¡­I will take this fight seriously.¡±

    Her cute smile turns into a serious battle mode grin. Electrons begin to gather around the air. Behind the back of her hips, Amadia¡¯s bat-like wings begin to flap, which act as a sign that she¡¯s ready for a fight.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you think so.¡±

    I smile back as I reply the girl. The pieces have already fall into places. The conditions have already been completed. I will win this fight, I will!

    ¡°That¡¯s why¡­you¡¯ll have the honor to be my first!¡±

    I flip my black cloak and put my left hand in my pocket. I can feel it in my hand, my trump card that Ikeephidden from the start. But I will hide it¡­no more!

    ¡°Your first?¡±

    As an answer toward Amadia¡¯s confused looks, I give out my final warning before I take the thing inside my pocket out completely.

    ¡°Let me show you¡­the magic of my people!¡±

    --------------------

    The young teenager takes out a strange object from his left pocket. On his left hand right now is a black, L-shaped item which he holds at the shorter end. It looks like the strange item was made from some sort of metal. However, its identity and function arecompletely unknownto all the people in this arena, even Deborah, even Amadia. The only one who knows what it is, and what monstrosity it is capable of, is of course its own master, Akuma.

    ¡°Amadia Deveraux, the Thunderbolt!¡±

    The referee suddenly shouts as he point his arm toward the girl, before doing the same to the other participant.

    ¡°Akuma, Familiar of the Flame Dragon!¡±

    ¡°May the Great Dargoth blesses both of you with victory. You may begin the fight!¡±

    The referee claps his staff to the ground. His whole body becomes a white mist that instantly flies away from the ring. On the arena, only the young human man and the succubus girl remain. They exchange gazes, before taking their individual battle stances.

    The invisible clock is ticking. Both sides want to end the fight as fast as possible. The question is how to achieve that objective, and both have their own solution to fulfill that.

    A sweat drops from Amadia¡¯s left cheek. Her go-to battle tactic has always been taking the initiative and defeat the opponent as swift as possible. Right now she does intend to goes the usual way. However, the enigmatic item in Akuma¡¯s possession is making her feel anxious. Is it a sword? Is it an axe? Or maybe it is his magic wand, but she has never saw such an enigmatic wand in her life before. Amadia curses her limited knowledge on magical trinkets, but nevertheless, she forgives herself considering even the most knowledgeable scholar may not recognize the items carried by a familiar from another world.

    I¡¯ll be cautious this time then¡­

    Such thought crosses Amadia¡¯s mind as she finally choose her battle tactic. And so, she takes a cautious approach to this duel.

    Amadia holds her arm toward the air in front of her. Her lips quickly chant a protective shield spell in order to solidfy her defense.

    ¡°O? ??? ?ob o? olb, ???b my wo?b? ?nb dl??? m? wi?? you? q?o????ion. ??i?lb m? ???in?? ??? wi?????y o? my ?n?mi??.¡±

    A faint light gathers in front of Amadia. Her gathered soul energy begins to take form as an intangible and nigh-invisible wall which transmogrifies the air around her. Her magic shield quickly takes form and will protect her from any magical harmcoming fromby her opponent. Amadia lets out a silent sigh of relief after she¡¯s finished her defenses.

    All of this have already took three seconds out of Akuma''s self-imposed time pool.

    Paralleling with Amadia¡¯s preparations for her defense, Akuma also does some moves of his own. While she¡¯s busy erecting her own shield, using his left hand, Akuma points the strange object toward Amadia, with his finger slipped into some kind of strange socket between the shorter and longer end of the black metal item. Despite Amadia''s still in the middle of fortifying her magic shield, Akuma takes no noticeable action, except for his trembling hand as he handles his item, and his anxiety-filled gaze that he gives to the girl in front of him.

    Back to the fight. After she¡¯s done with her magic shield, this time, Amadia begins to switch to the offensive. She intends to finish this fight with a simple lightning bolt, just like how she always did in every fights before this. However, right now, Amadia feels safe knowing she is protected behind a strong magic shield she personally created. Along with her knowledge of the familiar in front of her being next to zero, Amadia feels like she has to go all the way in order to finish this fight with her as the victor. That means a bigger spell, a stronger spell, and an unavoidable spell. And she has such a spell in her disposal that can be readied in three seconds.

    Amadia holds her right arm up to the sky. Lightnings begin to gather within her palm and is taking shape as some sort of spear or javelin.

    ¡°?i???nin?? ?om?. T?unb??? ??ll. H??b my ??ll ?nb ??lq m? ?o??. ?????? you? ????n??? ?nb ???? you? ?o?m. ?iv? m? you? o??? ?nb ??ow m? you? ????o? !¡±

    The purple lightning within Amadia¡¯s palm begins to shine even brighter. From the bolts gathered, a spear was formed, almost twice the size of Amadia¡¯s height. It is comparable to that of mighty Zeus¡¯s famed lightning bolts from the myth of Akuma¡¯s old world . And now, a girl holding such power in flesh and blood is standing before Akuma¡¯s eyes, readily to throw such thing toward him in order to pierce through his mortal flesh to pieces.

    If I were to take such a hit, I¡¯ll die.

    Although amazed by the sight, Akuma''s anxiety has yet to escape from his eyes. The glasses on his face can¡¯t hide everything his eyes showed. The fear of death readily pumps the blood inside his body to match the speed of his beating heart. The young teenager begins sweating andcan''tstop trembling. However, he still stands firm as he tries his best to keeps his morale from breaking with a faint smile on his face.

    ¡°THIS ENDS HERE!¡±

    Amadia shouts. The girl gets into a throwing stance to prepare for her upcoming attack. The ten seconds limit is almost over. The next attack will be the deciding one for both of them.

    ¡°Yes¡­this ends here.¡±

    BANG!

    A loud noise comes out from Akuma¡¯s strange item, at the same time when Amadia throws her lightning spear. A small light flashes from the top of the item. Within its barrels, a piece of molded lead comes out from the item, with speed bordering on breaking the sound barrier itself and velocity that can tear through iron plates. That thing pierces through Amadia¡¯s powerful magical shield like it was butter and hits the right side of the girl¡¯s abdomen, wounding the girl as the result.

    The throwed lightning spear doesn''t go to the intended mark when Amadia was staggered the moment she got attacked. The spearshoots straight to the audience behind Akuma ¨C the students who are watching what was expected to be a boring fight with an already decided victor, at first. However, the very moment the spear gets near the audience, it hits into some kind of invisible wall and slowly disperses, leaving the spectators unharmed, but not unfazed.

    However, the word unharmed¡­should be the last word that can be used to describe Amadia¡¯s current state right now. Red blood flows out from her wounded abdomen, causing her fancy white shirt to get stained blood red. The strength of her limbs begins to fade. Yet, the girl has yet to fall. The pain may have already took control of half her body, but her will still persists on fighting. A glare, Amadia gives her opponent a frightful glare as an act of defiance.

    But it also becomes the cue for Akuma to finish what he started.

    BANG ! BANG ! BANG ! BANG !

    Four more loud noises, four more holes appear on the beautiful, desireable girl¡¯s body. The poor girl begins to cough out blood. The arena and the audience is frightfully silent in awe of what is happening before their very eyes. Mixing with the girl¡¯s small puddles of blood on the ground are tears coming from her eyes. Amadia is crying, but she tries her best not to shatter her strong image she created ever since her enrollment here. Her legs are shaking, they look like they will fail her in any moment¡¯s notice.

    ¡°No¡­it is not supposed¡­to end this way¡­¡±

    Her teary face, her wounded body. The once mighty succubus right now isn¡¯t any different than a pityful girl.

    Victory has already been decided. However, Akuma lets out no triumphant smile, but only an uneasy, regrettable look on his face. Akuma lower his left arm and points his right¡¯s to the direction of Amadia.

    ¡°It¡¯s already over.¡±

    Like a magic word a stage magician always shout whenever he show the audience his tricks, the very moment those words comeout from his mouth, Amadia gives in to the pain and falls to the ground unconscious. The ten seconds mark also ends along with this.

    ¡°The fight has been decided! The victor is Akuma!¡±

    The referee appears once again after confirming the winner. The audience just give out a small applause, still in awe of what just happened. Never before have they seen a fight that could give themso many questions and so little answers in such a short duration.

    However, there is no denying the very truth before their eyes. An objective truth.

    This is Akuma¡¯s victory.

 Chapter 9: A verdict arrived late in midnight

    This is a story that happened not too long in the past. Or rather, it literally happened just a week ago.

    Several hours has passed since the departure of those weird women from this world. All they left here was me, a human male inside his own cell, awaiting the judgement for the sin of being wrongly summoned to their world.

    The lifeless stone ceiling. The dead silence of the castle. The cold winds flowed through the wooden windows. Lonely, with no one to talk to, I spent most of that time just lying on the bed. I wasn''t sleepy, despite feeling rather tired at that moment. I just lay there, deep in thought, kept thinking about the future I can not foresee.

    And within that trance, time passed. Slowly, like it was trying to outslow an injured turtle. Before long, my mind was in a blank, half-dead state made to escape from reality and long for something to happen, anything. A state of nihil and ennui.

    At least, until the soldier outside walked into the room, or rather, he suddenly barged in, knocked the door after it was opened and said:

    ¡°The headmaster summoned you. Stand up.¡±

    Half-sleep half awake, I followed the soldier¡¯s order despite my mind was still being a mess. I loudly yawned after standing up. The soldier just shook his head instead of wiping out any witty comments. With his spear held firmly in hand, the soldier ordered me to follow him. I obligated and walked outside after him.Didn''t want more holes in my body, of course.

    The hallway has lines of light bulbs attached to the wall, which helpedilluminatethe pathway for nightwalkers. Rather than the traditional electric light bulb, the ones used looked more like a bunch of fireflies trapped inside a bottle. While not as good as the works of our science, they wereuseableas light sources for this castle. Seemed like people learn new things everyday when theywent out of their comfort zone for a bit, heh?

    The hallwayswere long and lifeless. No sign of other people except for me and the soldier. I took a peek outside of some nearby windows. The moon was at its highest in the sky. I guessed the time was roughly midnight. Of course, people usually went to sleep at midnight, not going outside and haunt the night like a certain vigilante in bat costume, so the lack of people in this place was completely natural.

    The soldier led me to a bunch of stairways at the end of our fourth hallway. The stairway he and I took was likely a way to some sort of tower. After another five minutes passed from walking the stair, finally, we arrived at the destination. This was the highest place of this tower. Before me, there stood an iron door, with two door knockers that has faces resembling that of western dragons. The soldier knocked on the door using one of said knocker.

    ¡°You can come in.¡±

    The permission from room''s owner has been granted. The soldier just stood there, he opened the door, showed me the way and that was it.

    With no hesitation, I entered the room. The door quickly closed after Igot inside. Before my eyes were lots and lots of books, which were left there randomly into piles and piles. Not just books, but I also saw scrolls, staves, random generic wizard¡¯s strange stuff¡­They were all over the room, not unlike that of a typical shut-in¡¯s room, except this one added a more mysterious charm to the atmosphere, to the point its messiness become bearable.

    ¡°I¡¯m still waiting.¡±

    Said the voice behind mountains of books. I made my way through this maze to find the person who asked me to come here. Near the center of the room, the Headmaster - Nilrem Erramun, was sitting behind her wodden desk ¨C which was also full of documents and books lying around. She was leisurely having her late night tea with a fancy tea cup as she waited for my appearance. I could smell the aroma of the tea even at the place where I was standing, though with my lack of knowledge of such sophisticated hobby, I could not tell what type of tea she was drinking. Or rather, I wouldn¡¯t have any ideas of the types of tea in this world. Hell, I couldn''t believe this world even has tea in the first place.

    However, I quickly put the random gibberish thoughts aside. Time for business.

    ¡°You called me here. I guess that means my verdict has been decided, right? Though I expected it to arrive at my room, never have I thought I have to go and grab my death sentence myself.¡±

    The woman in greysubtlysmiled as she put down the tea cup on her desk.

    ¡°There were some changes of plan, so your presence are needed. That¡¯s why I called you. ¡°

    ¡°Please cut out the gibberishs and get to the point.¡±

    ¡°Most women don''t enjoy the company of ahasty man, you know? ¡°

    The woman gave out another smile. She put both her arms on to the desk and supported her chin with them, all while continuing to smirk.

    ¡°Like I said, therewere some changes of plan. Instead of us giving out your verdict, I think that¡¯s rather unfair for you, so I changed the plan myself. Now¡­the choice is yours to make. You will have to choose your verdict yourself.¡±

    ¡°Me¡­?¡±

    She told me to decide my fate? That was nice on paper, but for some reason, I felt a bit anxious.

    ¡°What are the options?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s very simple, really. The first option is to send you back to the place you came from.¡±

    ¡°You can?¡±

    I asked, with a bored tone. Or rather, a dissapointed tone.

    ¡°It¡¯s pretty easy. If you want to, I can get the ritual ready in just five minutes, and you¡¯ll get to go home again. We will pretend all this fiasco never happened to begin with. It¡¯s win and win for all of us. Mr.Akuma, don¡¯t you want to go home?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Usually, this was the part where the protagonist said ¡°Yes¡±, right? Yeah, I¡¯ve heard stories like this before. A common man got summoned to god-knows-where. He have to fight his way to earns the ticket home. And here I was, with my round-trip ticket already laid out before my very eyes.

    I briefly bit my lips. Why did they have to show me an easy escape way? Why didn¡¯t they go with the usual ¡°You have to do this long, dangerous, epic quest in order to go home¡±?

    I felt a little furious, but managed to keep my unreasonable rage down. Seemed like I picked out the short end of the stick again.

    ¡°Mr.Akuma? You¡¯re listening?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­right. Sorry.¡±

    I answered.

    ¡°And what is the other option?¡±

    The woman didn¡¯t let her smile wear off from the mask of a devilish woman, like she was expecting me to ask for this second option, rather than picking the escape switch the very moment it was proposed to me. Just what was her plan?

    ¡°I will allow you to join our Academy as a cadet.¡±

    ¡°!!¡±

    Join this academy? That meant¡­living here as a student, as a resident of this world. If the first option was somewhat a let down, this option however¡­was infinitely more interesting and worthy to be called the music for my ears.

    ¡°Are there any conditions?¡±

    Of course there has to be some sort of conditions. After all, things that were too good to be true usually aren''t what they seem to be at first.

    ¡°Of course. First things first, there¡¯s no way I¡¯ll allow an enigmatic figure like you to freely walk around in my academy. There¡¯ll be hidden supervisors to monitor every places you go and every steps you make. Please don¡¯t think bad about it. This is just for insurance. As a Headmaster, of course I need to give you some restrictions. Can¡¯t let you go and freely harm my cadets behind my back, can¡¯t I?"

    She has a point. Although despite my bluff I gave her earlier, I was just a normal human being, a teenager with average build. I doubt that I could even strangle a chicken, let alone superpowered fantasy high school students. Those glasses on my face probably didn¡¯t help.

    ¡°The names of those who were assigned to supervise you are a secret. But one of them will be a person you met today. That is cadet Deborah.¡±

    Did she mean that girl with long red hair?

    ¡°She¡¯ll be your main supervisor. After all, she¡¯s technically your master, yes? And a master needs to keep her dog tight with a leash in its neck. That¡¯s why, if you choose to study in this academy, you¡¯ll have to live in her room from now on and obey her command like a good familiar would.¡±

    Let''s put the clich¨¦ development aside, did the headmaster of an academy want a man to live together with a female student of hers? I knew I was talking with a witch, but I bet even normal witches have more common sense than her.

    ¡°You do know I am a man, right?¡±

    ¡°I have a pair of working eyes, Mr.Akuma. And is there a problem?¡±

    ¡°I bet you know what happens when two people of different gender live together, right? There¡¯ll be troubles, big troubles! As Headmaster, isn¡¯t it your job to worry about your students?¡±

    ¡°You mean Deborah? If it¡¯s that girl, then it¡¯s not her that I¡¯m worry about. More like¡­you are the one who should be worry.¡±

    I gave up. There was no winning against her in a nonsense contest. Still, if what she said has an ounce of truth, then what was the problem with the red hair girl I met? I saw that she wasn''t much different from a normal girl in my common image, aside from her taller than normal height, her unnatural red hair and eyes, and practically everything else. Then what was her problem?

    ¡°Let¡¯s get back to the topic at hand. The first thing is your supervision. The second thing is about your tution fee.¡±

    That meant money, which I didn''t have any, and I doubt my world¡¯s money would have any economic value in this world.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be generous this time, since with your¡­special circumstance, I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll have what it takes to pay for the tution fee. That¡¯s why, you don¡¯t have to worry about the tution fee of the first year...for now.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s kind of you.¡±

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to remind me that, hoh hoh.¡±

    The woman in grey calmly laughed, she then sip another drink from her fancy tea cup before getting back to talk.

    ¡°But nothing in life comes for free, you know? I¡¯m fully expecting you to pay for the following years should you choose to pursue your education here. Also, I would like you to pay back the enrollment fee at the end of the first year as well. Rather than charity, just think of it as a student loan. I would ask for some interest as well, but I¡¯ll be content with your school results alone, so don¡¯t slack off. If your school results fail to meet my demands and expectations, you¡¯ll be expelled.¡±

    I took back what I just said earlier. This woman was by no mean kind, she was a witch not in just appearance but also in heart and mind!

    ¡°Are there any other options left?¡±

    ¡°The only one left is to have you publicly executed.¡±

    Wait, what? Executed? That escalated quickly.

    ¡°Why would you want to do that?¡±

    ¡°Well, you don¡¯t want to go home. And you don¡¯t want to study here. What other choices do we have? By refusing the other two options, we will treat you as an enemy from the Heaven Realm since you have similar appearance with them. Mr.Akuma, do you know why we put you into a guest room? Because we have no prison here. We don¡¯t take prisoners and we have no intention to keep and feed any. Every enemy we captured? We publicly executed them all to save the trouble. And we will make no exception.¡±

    ¡°What if I escape?¡±

    That was pretty unlikely, but it was an option for me. Just run, run and run, toward the uncertainty ahead. Though on paper, it was still a pretty stupid choice.

    ¡°I assure you, you¡¯ll find that being executed here is a blessing should you venture to the world outside alone. Demons roam everywhere in this continent. The lands are dead, the air are ominous, monster lairs are numerous. Even if some miracles happened and you get to be free, you¡¯ll certainly regret your choice of running away.¡±

    She¡¯s right. I¡¯m still blind to this unknown world. With how I am right now, going out there is no different than signing a suicide pact.

    ¡°So¡­what is your choice, Mr.Akuma?¡±

    I fell silent when I knew I could''t get any more conversation options from her. This concluded the intel gathering part. I closed my eyes off for a moment, and began to dive deep in thought.

    To go home, back to my family, back to my school, back to my friends, back to my life.

    Or to stay here in an unknown world, live in an unknown school, befriend unknown people, and spend a portion of my life for an unknown future ahead.

    What other choices did I have?

    ¡°I¡¯ll stay.¡±

    Right, I chose to stay. That world has nothing left waiting for me there. This choice was my salvation, my saving rope. Right, who doesn''t want a fun adventure? I bet there were idiots back in my world who would happily throw themselves in front of some trucks to have the choice I just made here.

    Yeah, why not? An adventure in a strange world. What did I have to lose? Nothing!

    ¡°I expected you would say that.¡±

    The woman in grey happily smirked. She put her hand to a drawer behind her desk, and took out a brown sheet of paper full with writtings. After a quick glance, I noticed that this is an enrollment form for students, with my name and some information written on it. Aside from the name, most information on this paper were rather boring, the typical stuff about terms and conditions, likely just put there for the sake of filling out the form. At the end of the paper, there was a blank space, reserved for my signature.

    ¡°Let us seal the deal.¡±

    She pointed her finger toward a quill pen and a bottle of black ink on the desk. To think that there was a day I have to use such antiqued pen.

    I grabbed the quill pen with my left hand, lightly dipped it in ink and signed the paper with my signature and name at the bottom. Suprisingly, when I wrote my name, rather than in Japanese, my instinct automatically directed my hand and turned it into a strange written language, without any resemblance to my mother language.

    The headmaster took back the paper after I¡¯m done. She threw a quick glance at it then made a remark.

    ¡°So you already know our language. That confirms the pact is working, alright.¡±

    The headmaster took back the quill pen and signed her name on the other part of the paper to seal the deal.

    ¡°With this, you have finally become a cadet of Melas Military Academy. As Headmaster, I congratulate you, young man. I¡¯m looking forward to your time in our school.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Headmaster.¡±

    I nodded, while I refrained myself from making any notable reaction. Strangely¡­rather than excited, I felt rather light, like I just dropped a huge bag of worry off my back. Right, maybe because with my enrollment, I have officially ran away from my house (and by extension, my world), with no intention of going back.

    And with such thought in my head, I smiled. The missing emotions have finally arrived and began to fill me up. Joy, excitement, expectations, wishful thinkings¡­it may be just a figure of speaking, but right at that moment, I was overflowed with emotions to the point that I thought I was drowned from my emotions themselves.

    An adventure in a fantasy world. It was unbelievable as it sounds, and yet I was here, waiting to experience it for the following years. How could I not get excited!?

    ¡°Since you have become one of my student, it¡¯s time for me to return your confiscated belongings. Here, all of them, tell me if you see something missing.¡±

    From her drawer, Headmaster Nilrem began to take and drop my stuff on her desk. After she was done, in front of me were my personal belongings, which were taken by the soldiers here after I got knocked unconscious. There were some (now useless) money, an (equally useless) phone, and more important: Mr.Cat! To think that witch kept you hidden in a filthy drawer¡­

    And the only thing left, wasthat thing. The black metal L-shaped weapon, it looked as imposing as ever. I remembered its name. ¡¸Beretta 92FS¡¹. Came with an unnecessary metal compensator and a fifteen rounds magazine. A weapon widely used around the world. I knew Japan was not exactly a haven for guns, this type of weapon however could be found if you look hard enough and have enough power to acquire it. The very sight of it on a wooden desk, inside a room full of ancient tomes and in front of a witch in flesh was a rather¡­interesting sight to behold.

    I took back Mr.Cat from the evil witch first. After that, I put the money and the phone to my trouser¡¯s pockets, with the intention of hiding them later. Finally, I took the gun with my left hand and gave it a check. It seemed like the safety lock hasn¡¯t got tamperedby anyone yet. You could say the people here were too afraid of the unknown to give it some tinkering.

    ¡°What exactly is that thing, by the way?¡±

    I could see the headmaster firmly held her staff while asking that question. Nilrem looked like she was on her guard from the very sight of me taking back my gun.

    ¡°A magic wand, of sort.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a mage as well? You can also perform magic?¡±

    ¡°My own type of magic, yes. It¡¯s a unique magic from my world. Rather than a mage, I guess you could call me¡­a magician.¡±

    Magician, of the pulling rabbits from a top hat variety that is.

    ¡°A magician? Is that another type of mage?¡±

    I nodded and smiled. In a sense, the power of this gun could be a type of magic in their eyes. That made me a practitioner of Clarke¡¯s Third Law, I guess. Usually, this was the start for the part where I have to enlight the savages around me using the power of science and gunpowder, right? With making guns and stuff and conquer the world with stuff blowing up, Michael Bay-style. Add in some hot chicks and we¡¯ll have a good movie to pass for a Saturday night.

    But no, I have no intention of running around screaming ¡°This is my boomstick and I bought it from S-Mart!¡±. The ambiguousness was my friend, my ally and my weapon. I was nothing but a weak, puny human being. Holding a gun in my hand didn¡¯t make me invincible. Fifteen limited rounddidn''t make it any better. The moment I¡¯m out of bullet is also the moment I¡¯m done of fighting.

    My true test began here, if I seek to venture myself into this strange world.

    ¡°If so, then I¡¯m looking forward to what you could do in this world.¡±

    I didn¡¯t answer back. When I was done looking, I put the gun back to an empty pocket of my trouser. With such weapon, I felt relieved already.

    ¡°I also got something I¡¯ve prepared for you.¡±

    The woman stood up. She walked to a nearby coat hanger and took out a black cloak, likely the one the students here wear.

    ¡°This is the uniform of this school. Take pride on wearing it as a cadet of Melas yourself. The symbol of death, of sacrifice, but also of the beginning. I grant you your cloak, cadet Akuma. Take it.¡±

    From her hands, I took the cloak and wear it. It was a mix of a buttonless longcoat and a hooded cloak. A pretty comfy cloak. The very moment I wore it, it seemed like all the coldness around me instantly dissappeared. This thing acted very well against the cold weather.

    ¡°Congratulation, cadet Akuma. May Dargoth himself blesses you with successes.¡±

    I briefly bowed as a sign of gratitude.

    After the short ceremony, I got sent back to the room I previously stayed. When I arrived, the fatigue took over, rendered me with no strength left to think about my new life. I jumped on the bed, slowly closed my eyes and let the god of sleep do his job.

    And thus, from that day, I¡­became ¡¸Akuma¡¹.

 Chapter 10: A wish of the fallen

    Ever since I was a little girl, I have always know this world is a dog-eat-dog world.

    The weak strive to be strong, while the strong strive to be even stronger. I was taught from a young age that the epitome of power lie in strength and intelligence. Asyoung demons of the proud Demon Realm, it is the duty of childrento pursue more power, if they don''t want their existence in this world to be remembered as brief and feeble.

    I was one among those children, and was guided to grow up that way. To gain strength and intelligence, to gain status and power, all to defeat our enemies. Yes, that has always been our duty, for the sake of the future, and for the sake of our fathers and mothers.

    But that was not my goal alone. I too, have my own personal desires and wishes to fulfill.

    I hailed from a race called the Succubi. Despite the existence of an opposite race ¨C the Incubi, both of our nature are the same, and thus were classified as the same race. We are frail in body and flesh, but absurdly strong in mental, mind, feelings and dreams magic arts. And since Lust is the one of the most devastating weaknesses every living being with a libido posssess, we adopted decadence as a racial culture of our own. Because of this, we gained quite a lot of infamy, and thus gained the reputation of an average, lustful race in the demonic hierarchy.

    However, even with that prejudice, therewere few who stood out from the rest. One of them was my mother.

    Born with enormous potential for the arcane arts, my mother bravely took on fierce battlefields unbeffiting her status and role as a Succubus, using overwhelming magic to gain victories after victories, earning herself numerous titles and honor. Andnot only she waschosen to be a Lord tasked to govern our race¡¯s territories, she became a close aide for the current Demon King at the height of her glory.

    Being the sole daughter of such an awesome succubus, of course, there were lots of pressure and expectation on my back. But I did not mind, even for a bit, because I take pride on being the daughter of my mother. I will bravely bear those burden for the sake of being my mother¡¯s daughter!

    But¡­ever since my father''s death, mother fell into depression. She shut herself downaway fromthe rest of the world, only contented with governing her domains. I feel that shewas saddened a lot by his death. Of course, itis alwayssad when someone you hold dear passed away, I knew very well the day I recieved news of my father''s death, but seeing my remaining family gave in to sorrow hurted me even more.

    Couldn¡¯t a daughter do something for her mother when it counts?

    That was why, Idecided to dedicate my future to lit the fireinside of her once more, by following her foot steps, and become a respectable demon like her.

    One could say Ibecame a real rebel by standing against everything that defines the Succubi. My dress code was practically a jab to my race¡¯s culture. I turned down invitations from the prestigious academy Flegme and enrolled myself to the place neareast to the frontier ¨C the castle which was once belong to Great Demon King - Dargoth himself, which now serves as Melas Military Academy. And thus, my life as a cadet began.

    My mother did not voice her concern against my choice, she let me freely decide my own fate. I was glad for that. That is why, I will follow her footsteps and become a respectable demon myself!

    The first step to make this plan of mine comes true¡­was to obtain power.

    I was a na?ve girl, that, I admit. Born with some talent for the arcane myself, I decided the best way to make myself stronger was to prove it byoverpoweringothers. That was why, I sought out strong opponents, and overcame them using my power. But none proved to be a match for me, until I met her, and witnessed her strength first hand.

    Deborah Draconis. At the Magic Arts¡¯s entrance ceremony, the girl burned the whole castle hall down the moment she touched the elemental testing crystal ball. Accidentally or not, it was still a mark of great power. After I collected my info from rumours,I found out this girl is the only granddaughter of the deceased Great Demon King Dargoth. That explained a lot about her strength. Just as I was strong because I am the daughter of a Lord, she was strong because she is the granddaughter of a former King.

    I made it my goal to defeat that girl one day. Right, if I beat that girl, that would mean I am strong enough to make my dream come true.

    Of course, to challenge such powerful girl, I have to gain power and become stronger first. And thus, I became a regular of the school¡¯s arena, and challenged people left and right for duels. I was strong myself, as I thought back then, so I did not have much trouble in most the battles I fought. Some among those who were defeated asked me permissions to become my underlings. I accepted, because it is natural for the weak to seek protection under the wing of the strong, right? And so, that is how I gained my ¡°friends¡±, my entourage, my followers.

    Once I ran out of people to fight, strong and weak. I thought the time has come for me to directly challenge that girl. My ¡°friends¡± also supported this decision. And thus, I mustered all of my courage and directly challenged her for a fight in the next time we met.

    The girl did not even bat an eye and just silently walk away, like I was not worthy of her attention.

    I did not give up, of course. If one was not enough, then I would do it everyday! Ever since, everytime I met her, a word of challenge have always been the first thing to come out of my mouth. But none of them ever reached her ears.

    The truth was, I almost gave up myself, despite knowing I have to keep going by surpassing the goal I made myself, that is defeating Deborah. But¡­if she did not desire a fight¡­how else could I make this goal come true? What good would come from a girl who can not even fulfill the tasks she gave herself to do?

    And then, that fateful day arrived¡­

    -------------------

    I wake up from my slumber. My body is drenched in sweat, likely from the dream I just had, back when my life was much simplier than it currently is. But this is not the time for nostalgia.

    I look around, and find myself lying on a bed inside the academy¡¯s infirmary. The sick room is empty, aside from the lifeless furnitures and decorations, and of course, myself. I am the only patient currently residinghere.

    ¡°Ughh.¡±

    Pain runs across my body when I attempt to move my limbs. From what I can make of, it seems that my current attire is a patient¡¯s gown, and under those is a body covered in bandages, mostly on my legs and mid-torso.

    I try to reassemble my thoughts and consciousness. I can not let the pain overcome my mind.

    I just had a dream about things of the past. Yes, that I can confirm. The question is what is the reason? I do not understand. And why am I resting at the infirmary in the first place? Consider my wounds, it may had been a battle, but with who?

    Let me think about stuff that happenedprior to that.

    ¡°!!!!¡±

    After a brief moment of thinking, when my mind becomes clearer after it regains its normal function from my hibernation, it finally hits me as my memories return¡­and I remember what happened.

    Right¡­I lost¡­to that enigmatic familiar, and get myself wounded, all over my body.

    If that was what happened, then that dream, was it what people called ¡°Images of one''s past beforetheirdeath¡±?

    If that was the case, then these wounds on my body must be pretty serious, to the point they almost took my life away.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    That doesn¡¯t change the truth that I lost. If I won back then instead, the same result would happen to my opponent, if not worse. It is the natural outcome of a duel. It will be a disgrace if I let myself be swayed byrage and hatred from losing to my opponent.

    All I can do isto accept the harsh truth.

    ¡°So I lost¡­¡±

    The ceiling looks cold, this room looks cold, the bed looks cold. I guess from the eyes of a loser, everything look like they are falling down onto you, waiting to crush you like an irrelevant insect.

    This feeling of despair, I hate it.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    I need some fresh air. I have stayed in the bed for far too long. Beside, I am afraid¡­afraid if I keep lying here I will never stand up again, and can only lie here for the rest of my life unable to rise from my bed.

    After some adjusting, I finally get myself out of the bed. The standard protocol when it comes to dealing with the wounded is to use the normal, traditional treatment likemedicines and bandages without the use of magic. Because of something about long term effects when abusing healing magic, I heard. It is a pain, but I can not complain when the doctors did a good job keeping me alive.

    Let¡¯s take a quick walk.

    The hallway is empty and lifeless, just like how it always is. From the window, I can see the setting sun. The dusk will soon be over, but there is still some time left until nightfall.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    So lonely.

    I noticed it earlier. The flower bouquet near my sick bed was empty. That means¡­no one bothered to give me a visit. I guess this is what they called You reap what you sow. Now that I have become one of the weak myself, of course, the people will avert their attention to the new rising star. I bet right now, the man who defeated me is constantly get showered in praises by people around him. I know it full well as I was the unbeatable champion until now, and it is finally my turn to taste the bitter fruit from the opposite side of glory.

    ¡°Oh, look who¡¯s here!"

    A voice comes from behind my back. I slowly turn around without stressing my weakened body too much. Before me, there stand three male students, with faces too familiar to me. They are wearing standard black cloak of the academy, along with the wizard hats that signify their allegiance to the Realm''s Warlocks. They are part of my circle, my friends, the first few who were defeated by my hands and became my underlings right after.

    ¡°You guys¡­You came to pay me a visit?¡±

    Before I get a chance to be glad however, the very next line from their leader shakes me out of that brief moment of hope.

    ¡°No, we come to sever our ties.¡±

    ¡°¡­What¡­? You¡¯re joking¡­right?¡±

    ¡°You do remember what you promised right? That you will become a strong leader to lead us when the time comes and we have to brave the battlefield? The thing is¡­with the conclusion of yesterday¡¯s battle, you certainly didn¡¯t live up to your promise. It¡¯s only natural, Amadia. You know the rules, right? The weak only serve the strong, and look at yourself, what part of you is strong right now? You tell me.¡±

    The guys¡¯ leader speaks.

    ¡°But I¡­¡±

    ¡°That, and we got tired of you.¡±

    Says one of the three guy standing behind, with acheery tone mixed inside his gleeful smile.

    ¡°Seriously, did you ever pay any attention to those under you? I bet you don¡¯t remember any of our names when all you got on your sight on is that bitch Deborah!¡±

    Well...it is true that I do not remember all their names, I am not good with remembering names and people to begin with, but even so¡­!

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do anything anymore, Amadia. Don¡¯t make such a scene. You do know this day will happened, right? Then what¡¯s with the sad face?¡±

    The leader guy replies.

    ¡°It¡¯s because¡­I thought of you guys as my friends!¡±

    ¡°We were indeed your friends, girl. Friends with benefits, that is! It¡¯s nice being your underling, no one dare to object against the strongest girl in the arena whenever we bring up your name. Make our life quite comfortable swindling pocket money out of some poor chaps!¡±

    What¡­did I just hear? What have they done behind my back? Is this¡­the results from my actions, from my ignorance?

    ¡°Come now. Save the pitiful face for later. No one want to see that on a girl¡¯s face, you know, beside in the bed chamber. Now that you have proved your worthless strength, maybe you can find a new chance in that place.¡±

    The leader guy smirks. Followed by laughters from the two accompanied him. Yet, all I can do is just listen to their atrocities, without the drive to fight back, to defend myself, or even to right my own wrongness¡­

    Only at this time do I know how powerless I truly am¡­

    ¡°So in the end, only a whore like ¡¸Asmodi¡¹ could produce a whore of a daughter like herself!¡±

    The very moment those words get inside my ears, some kind of switch got flipped. Before I know it, my right balm is sparking with lightning magic, waiting to strike at a moment notice.

    ¡°Shit! You went overboard!¡±

    A guy from the group says to the one who just insulted my mother. Little did he know how wrong that little ¡°comment¡± of his was.

    They may insult me all they can, I have no problem with that, since I am a stupid, foolish and arrogant girl. I deserve everything wrong that happened to me because of my action. But¡­

    ¡°No one¡­insult my mother!¡±

    I scream at the top of my lungs. Despite the tremendous painacross my wounded body, I shoot out a bolt of lightning toward the culprits. Even so, trying to attack while I am wounded myself is clearly not the best course of action my train of thought should choose. The attack misses, while I slightly stumbles to the ground due to the pain of my wounds.

    Before I get a chance to attack again, or the time for those three guys to make their own retaliation that I''m afraid they might, someone suddenly shouts and approaches the scene from a nearby hallway.

    ¡°What¡¯s the ruckus over here!?¡±

    From behind of my former friends, a male student walks toward them. The black short hair covering his eyes mixed with the strange glasses on his face; it is a face that was embarked to my mind, whether I like it or not.

    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

    ¡°Sir Akuma! Thank goodness you are here.¡±

    The one who put me in this miserable state and the one who defeated me. Akuma, familiar of Deborah Draconis.

    ¡°She¡¯s trying to vent out her wrath from losing to you on us! If you didn¡¯t come, we couldhaven been killed just to ease her anger!¡±

    ¡°Achoo!¡±

    For some reason, Akuma suddenly sneezes as he fake a cough...or something like that.

    ¡°Sorry. I am allergic to bullshit.¡±

    ¡°What!?¡±

    Shouts the punks¡¯ leader.

    ¡°How about you end your bravado here and we settle this peacefully? I¡¯ve overheard everything.¡±

    ¡°But this is absurd. She attacked us!¡±

    Right at that moment, Akuma takes out the metal, L-shaped strange item that he used to defeated me and points that thing to the guy¡¯s forehead. The very same item that helped him penetrated my magic shield in the span of 5 seconds. I am sure that guy understands what it is capable of when it is pointed right near the door to his brain.

    ¡°Not before you gave her some verbal assaults to provoke her into attacking you.¡±

    ¡°You¡­!¡±

    The two other guys look angry enough, however, with their leader in the middle of a deadlock, they can do nothing other than glaring at Akuma with hatred in their eyes.

    ¡°You do know what I¡¯m capable of, yes? Then let us settle this peacefully. I don¡¯t have time to deal with you leeches.¡±

    Akuma steps aside, all while aim his magic wand or something toward the punks¡¯ leader. All three of them obligate and quickly prepare their retreat.

    ¡°Just you wait¡­Deborah¡¯s lapdog!¡±

    After that, they rush out from here with tails between their legs, like dogs fleeing from the sight of a wolf.

    ¡°I would prefer to be called a cat though. Not a dog person, to be honest.¡±

    Only I and Akuma remain here in the hallway. He turns his head back to me, awaiting some sort of response.

    ¡°I could deal with them myself.¡±

    I voice my complaint toward Akuma, scavenging what little pride I have left before the enemy who defeated me.

    ¡°Seems like you¡¯re misunderstanding something.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I just happened to pass by due to some personal business of mine. It¡¯s not like I wanted to come here to pay you a visit and help you out of some troubles or anything.¡±

    That sounds very suspicious, more so when Akuma averts his eyes from meeting mine as he says his lines. Though, I can see that he is holding a small paperbag in his right hand right now, which keeps clanking every time he moves, as if there are some kind of metals inside. Maybe what he said is true, he is actually on an errand of sort right now. That still does not justify his attempt to help me out of that little fight earlier.

    ¡°How¡¯s your wounds?¡±

    Says Akuma as he put his magic wand back to his pocket. If it is some sort of weapon then it makes sense he does not want to flaunt it out so much, especially in front of me.

    ¡°Good enough. I am fine, really.¡±

    ¡°No you¡¯re not. The fight was yesterday. Stop trying so hard.¡±

    ¡°Why do you think I am trying hard?¡±

    ¡°Your legs are shaking.¡±

    I gaze down to my legs. Despite his claims, I see that my legs are still fine. Well, not exactly good, but I do not think it is visually shaking for others to see.

    ¡°So you ARE trying hard!¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Only at this point do I realize I just got caught in his verbal trap. Damn this guy, did he have his fun on making me miserable? May he taste a thousand curses!

    ¡°Forget about it, just what are you doing here anyway? If you are done then get out of my sight. I do not want to see you at this time, or anytime later.¡±

    ¡°I came here to laugh at you.¡±

    Says the guy. Right¡­it is only natural for the winner to laugh in the face of the loser.

    ¡°Though with how pitiful you are right now, laughing at you wouldn¡¯t worth it. I would only want to laugh at a conceited, boastful andarrogant girl, not some pitiful defeatist.¡±

    His words pierce through my heart like they are sharp arrows. The truth has always been painful to bear.

    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you just laugh at this pitiful girl as well? Isn¡¯t that why you made a clown out of me twice in a row? And if we count this time as well, thrice ?

    ¡°Between a power maniac and a clown I bet people will love the clown more, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    Akuma smirks. Damn it, this guy starts to irritate me with every passing minutes.

    ¡°Geez, just get the poor girl act over with! Stop making me look like the bad guy when you¡¯re the bad guy!¡±

    ¡°What? Are you not the bad guy here! What is with putting holes on a girl¡¯s body and humilitate her in public?¡±

    ¡°This wouldn¡¯t happened if you didn¡¯t pester Deborah that day.¡±

    Deborah¡­The very moment that name came out of his word, I suddenly fall silent, at least until my curiosity takes over.

    ¡°Did Deborah¡­say something about me after the fight?¡±

    Right, he is her familiar. Maybe, just maybe¡­

    ¡°Nope. You know her better than I do. That girl doesn¡¯t give a care to anything.¡±

    Figures¡­

    ¡°Though for some reason, that girl also started to keep her distance from me as well. Strange.¡±

    ¡°May be you have finally established yourself as the official enemy of women everywhere?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s one way to put it!¡±

    Despite his efforts however, the atmosphere does not really get lighten, even for a bit. I am still keeping up my pitiful face, while that guy still looks confused as ever.

    ¡°Damn it, Amadia. What happened, happened. Just because you lost doesn¡¯t mean your world just crumbled.¡±

    ¡°But you did make my world crumble. To fight and triumph was the purpose of my whole life. My search for power was destroyed the moment I lost to you. All my efforts has vanished to ashes. Thus sealed my fate from being one of the strong to a weakling...a despicable weakling who can¡¯t even talk back to the slander of her former friends.¡±

    I look down to the ground. I am too embarrassed to see him face to face. He has won, which mean he is one of the strong now. I have no right to criticize him about anything. This is only natural. I can not even blame him for winning against me, or make me feel even more pitiful by trying to be a hero in front of me.

    I want to cry, yet for some reason, my tears can¡¯t come out. Is this because of what little pride remaining inside of me? Or am I too weak to even cry for myself now?

    I am confused, with no idea what I am going do from now on, now that I lost my sole purpose¡­

    ¡°Damn it girl! Will you put your ears on and listen for a sec!¡±

    A loud voice comes from Akuma¡¯s direction. I turn my head up to look back, and¡­rather than Akuma himself, right now, in his left hand, there is some kind of¡­glove? A cat-shaped glove, full with hands, face, clothing, and a top hat. Despite the silence from Akuma¡¯s mouth, for some reason voices are still coming out, make it look like the cat is talking.

    It is¡­kinda cute.

    ¡°Stop your pitiful act! You can¡¯t win over Mr.Cat, who has break the hearts of many cat ladies, with your crocodile tears! Listen well, girl! Winning? Losing? To this awesome Mr.Cat, they are all b*llsh*t! What¡¯s the problem with one lost? That doesn¡¯t mean your life end with it, wouldn¡¯t it? No, girl, the moment you truly lose is the moment you let your lost overcome you!¡±

    Is that cute hand glove trying to give me a life lecture¡­?

    ¡°Do you know why that girl, Deborah, never bothered to do battles with you? Because despite your winning streaks, you¡¯re still a loser! A loser who can¡¯t realize the meaning behind winning and losing. How else a strong girl like her world fight someone who define her power through win and loss? Even a cat like me know how b*llsh*t it sounds. You girl, are stupid! Too stupid to reliaze that yourself! But have no fear, Mr.Cat is here to save the day!¡±

    Despite it¡¯s ridiculousness, for some reason, I find myself earnstly listen to all of the weird cat¡¯s words. Is the cat Akuma¡¯s familiar? What would you call a familiar of a familiar?

    ¡°But what should I do now, Mr.Cat? I do not know what to do anymore.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s your damn job, young lady! To begin with, stop whining! Mr.Cat has heard with his ears a thoundsand whining, and he for sure didn¡¯t like even one of them! Losses are the mother of successes. If you can¡¯t learn from your losses, then just hang yourself or something and stop wasting air.¡±

    ¡°Learning¡­from my losses?¡±

    ¡°There is no bravery without fear. No victory without losses. If you could learn from your losses, maybe one day, even Deborah will want to do battle with you.¡±

    This time, it is not Mr.Cat, but Akuma himself as the one who gave me that advices.

    Learning from losses, heh?

    Come to think of it, I have never lose before. Ever since I was born, things come rather easily for me. I guess, that helped mold the conceited girl inside of me. Mother did not do anything to change that, but I guess she has her reasons. May be¡­she want me to learn this by myself? Some lesson can not be taught, only learned. I guess.

    ¡°Akuma.¡±

    I let out a voice.

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    ¡°Please tell Deborah¡­to wait for a while.¡±

    ¡°To wait?¡±

    ¡°Waiting for me to get stronger. I finally know what I am lacking at.¡±

    The guy just smile, without comment back.

    ¡°Good for you.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, good for you, girl. And thus, another successful case for Mr.Cat¡¯s life lecture session!¡±

    ¡°Speaking of Mr.Cat¡­what exactly is¡­that thing?¡±

    The cat glove suddenly looks surprised.

    ¡°Thing, she said !Did you hear that, Akuma! She called me a thing! How rude, young lady! If not for me acting as this little kid¡¯s conscious, he would probably slit his wrists long ago! Please give me some respect, girl! Because Mr.Cat here deserve every ounce of them!¡±

    The cat is suprisingly loudly, though cute.

    ¡°My apology, Mr.Cat.¡±

    Then I turn to Akuma.

    ¡°He is surpisingly cute.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t he?¡±

    Says the guy with a smile.

    ¡°Want me to make you one?¡±

    What? Does that mean he can make more of them?

    ¡°Of course! Please make me one!¡±

    For some reason, I feel very energetic, despite my body still covered in wounds. Strange. I guess pain is only a thing made from your mind.

    ¡°Holy cow. Akuma, have you finally decided to make me a wife deserving Mr.Cat?¡±

    ¡°Stop dreaming. Ha ha.¡±

    Akuma laughs. A very natural laughter that for some reason doesn¡¯t seem very fitting for the kind of guy he is. Or maybe that''s just me imposing a role of enemy for he to play. That is what I have always do, imposing my ideals onto others. But that changes today.

    ¡°I will make you one, on the condition of when I met you again, you¡¯ll be fully healed by then. And please, stop giving out more duel challenge. I would hate to see that happened again, especially if I¡¯m your next target.¡±

    Oops, how did he know about my intent of surpassing him as the first step of my (renewed) training plan?

    ¡°O-okay¡­¡±

    ¡°Good girl. Until then, farewell.¡±

    The man leaves, with Mr.Cat still on his left hand.

    ¡°Hey, Akuma. Please make her a pink cat. Mr.Cat loves pink cats.¡±

    ¡°Oh shut up, you pervert cat.¡±

    And yes, he walks back with a cat glove still on his hand, while engaging a man-to-man conversation with it.

    A strange guy indeed. To think I was defeated by a clown like him¡­Though, it seemsthat what he said was kinda true, right? A clown would obviously more loved than a power maniac.

    I turn my gaze toward the horizon outside. The sun is setting, and the night has already start to fall, but my future hasn¡¯tyet to set.

    Right, this is just a new start, a new beginning for me to look forward to.

    -----------------------

    The room full of books is filled with the aroma of tea. This is the principal¡¯s personal office. Two women wearing witches'' garb are sitting inside, leisurely drinking tea with their fancy teacups.

    A woman is petting her dear black cat napping on her lap. After a quick sip to the cup, she lets out a voice.

    ¡°Now that the fight has been concluded, what is your thought on this matter, Headmaster?¡±

    ¡°The boy has potential, that¡¯s just all.¡±

    The woman with long grey hair answers.

    ¡°But to be worthy of being that girl¡¯s familiar, potential alone is not enough. We need to test him more.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you leave the poor boy alone for a while, Headmaster? Let him rest for a time after this ordeal, like dear little Federlin on my lap. Being a slave driver has always been the thing that made people hate you, you know?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t do that, Walpurga. Time is not on our side, I fear. We need him to be ready when the day comes.¡±

    ¡°You still can¡¯t keep Deborah in your leash? Powerful as you, yet can¡¯t compete against a little schoolgirl?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m old, you know? Old, very old. If Dargothis here, he¡¯ll laugh at me for trying to maintain the image of a woman in her prime, which I have long lost.¡±

    The old woman just smiles. She also sips a bit of her tea before continuing.

    ¡°That girl is dangerous. If all else fail, the boy would prove to be our only hope.¡±

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Thus end the first arc .

    This chapter is released sooner because i''m kinda busy this week.

    So, what is your thought for the first arc ?

    The next arc would have more world building before the plot kicks in again .

 Chapter 11: A choice for a profession

    For once in a while, today¡¯s weather is pretty fair. The sun is high, pushing away the freezing cold of Winter, allowing a bit of warmth to linger inside the castle. The students¡¯ mood is pretty good today thanks to such a nice day, me included.

    ¡°A perfect day for shopping.¡±

    That was what Deborah said this early morning. And indeed a nice day it turned out to be. That being said, I¡¯m not really a fan of shopping and wasting money, especially when girls are involved, but¡­as I am essentially Deborah¡¯s glorified pet, it¡¯s something to be expected when I get dragged into her little venture at the shops as her bag holder.

    A week has passed since Amadia¡¯s defeat. For some reason, since then, Deborah started to talk less and less whenever I¡¯m nearby, and sometimes, she abruptly ended the rare conversations we had and just disappeared to god-knows-where places. It made living in her room pretty awkward, since it¡¯s her room to begin with and yet she was acting like she¡¯s a nuisance to me - a glorified freeloader. Made me feel pretty bad myself.

    Which is why it was such a surprise when she asked me to go shopping with her. I couldn¡¯t bring myself to refuse, for fear another chance to reconnect with her won¡¯t come again.

    ¡°Here we are, the general shop.¡±

    Says Deborah when we both arrive at the school¡¯s general shop during today¡¯s lunch break. Our journey to this shop is rather uneventful, without any small talks coming from both side. It¡¯s hard to accurately guess which side has issues, I or Deborah. (I¡¯m leaning toward her side).

    The shop is located in a big room within one of the castle¡¯s keeps. As its name implied, it¡¯s just a mid size shop and most likely the only general shop in the castle. The interior is displayed with a wide variety of goods for customers to browse, including various trinkets and oddities, but also mixed with daily necessities supplies like towels, clothing, medicine, and other trivial products. Hell, this shop even sell weapons and armors like swords, spears and many others. It¡¯s basically a ¡°You name it, we have it, please buy it!¡± kind of shop.

    ¡°Welcome, young students!¡±

    The shop owner ¨C still standing behind a counter ¨C gives out welcoming words when he catches sights of his customers. As weird as this shop is, the shop owner himself is probably the weirdest sight around. He is essentially a talking animated skeleton, wearing clothing akin to that of the old Mongolian¡¯s traditional clothes back in my world. He¡¯s also wearing a black bandana around his forehead, make him looks like a street peddler tending his own agora rather than the owner of a school¡¯s shop. Although with his appearance, he has more potential earning his ¡°living¡± as a street performer than as a merchant.

    ¡°What are you lads looking for? Oh, isn¡¯t it Lady Deborah? It¡¯s been a while since the last time you came. Fidus was pretty sad since you didn¡¯t show up lately, you know.¡± ¨C Says the skeletal shop owner.

    ¡°I was busy with problems of my own, sorry.¡±

    I think Deborah is giving me a side glance as she speaks. In another note, though, I¡¯m more curious about this¡­Fidus person. And no, this is not jealousy or anything!

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, really. Since you¡¯re here. Let me call Fidus out. Fidusssss!!!¡±

    Despite being a skeleton with no visible larynx, the shop owner¡¯s shout is so loud to the point I fear it may throw all of his merchandise off the counters. After three seconds, a loud bark can be heard from the backside of the shop.

    Wait, a loud bark?

    ¡°Woof woof!¡±

    From the back of the shop, there¡¯s a dog come running. A big, fluffy white dog. I don¡¯t care what breed it is. I only classify all dogs as dog, since after all, they are my mortal nemesis!

    The large dog with white fur covering his eyes lunges at Deborah with his massive body. Despite the imminent danger from the foul beast, Deborah has no trouble grabbing a dog nearly as big as her in mid air like he is merely a cute little pup (no, pups are not cute!). He begins to lick her hands with his tongue, resulting a laugh from Deborah due to the tickleness.

    ¡°Oh stop it, Fidus. I was absent for some weeks and you missed me already? Stupid dog!¡±

    Deborah¡¯s current genuine smile is something I haven¡¯t seen on her face for quite sometimes. Everytime she puts on that smile, a part of me feel at ease for some reason. That being said, the times that she smiles without making it look like an evil smirk can be count on one hand.

    ¡°That girl used to come here everyday just to pet that dog.¡±

    Says the shop owner, his words directed at me.

    ¡°Dogs aren¡¯t a common sight in this continent, you know? They only breed dogs and cats in the West continent, the place they originated from. An old acquaintance of mine left Fidus here as a mistake. Since he never showed up again, I intended to sell the furball to anyone interested, but none showed any. So I have to take care of that big glutton myself. What a hassle!¡±

    After hearing the shop owner¡¯s story, I¡¯m pretty amazed, though I¡¯m not sure about what should I be amazed of: The fact that this world has dogs and cats, how a skeleton man can raise a dog without having his bones devoured by it, or the revelation of Deborah as a devout member of the Dog faction.

    But no matter, my love for cats will never be swayed. All hail the Cat faction!

    ¡°Woof!¡±

    ¡°Hey, where are you going?¡±

    The dog suddenly leaps out of Deborah¡¯s arms and¡­comes to the opposite of me. I can feel that his sight is fixed upon me through those eyes hidden by his fluffy white hair, the eyes of a predator confronting its prey. Likewise, I become tense myself and keep my gaze focused on my mortal nemesis while doing nothing, making this ridiculous scene look like a cowboy standoff between human and dog.

    ¡°WOOF!¡±

    ¡°Oh no you don¡¯t!¡±

    The dog lunges at me as his attack. But of course, using my superior human intelligence, I anticipated such attack and just back step from my original position and¡­run away. No, I should say this is a tactical retreat! Ain¡¯t no way I¡¯m gonna face a dog in direct confrontation! It may drool upon me, and that¡¯s bad!

    Despite having an early edge over my enemy, outrunning a dog on foot proves to be far more difficult just as I thought it would. I get caught within seven meters from the place I started. The dog utilizes every natural advantages he has. He pins me down to the ground using his massive frame. Then, the dog lightly bites the left leg of my trouser and drags me back to the shop, happily waving its tail in celebration for the successful capture of his prey.

    ¡°Seems like he¡¯s happy to finally found one of his own kind.¡±

    Says Deborah. I definitely don¡¯t want to figure out to whom that comment was directed to.

    ¡°That¡¯s strange, Fidus rarely open up to strangers. Maybe he likes you, young man.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d prefer that he doesn¡¯t.¡±

    I answer.

    ¡°Woof!¡±

    The dog barks, as if he wants to confirm the words of the shop owner. Yeah, like I would be happy to be loved by you, and stop licking me all over the place!

    ¡°Okay boys, let¡¯s stop this charade at once. We are here to shop, playing is for later.¡±

    Says Deborah as she grows tired of our comedic standoff.

    ¡°Right right. Fidus! It¡¯s lunchtime! Leave the customers to do their thing, or how else can I get the food to fill your gigantic stomach!¡±

    The very moment the word ¡°Lunchtime¡± reaches its ears, the fluffy dog happily turns his attention to the shop owner and follows him to the backside of the shop. Before I get a chance to comment on how cold-hearted Deborah is, she gives me a helping hand to stand up from the ground, thus shunning every chances I had. Following her lead, we come to the clothing section of the shop.

    ¡°So, what do you want to buy?¡±

    ¡°Some clothes for you.¡±

    Deborah bluntly answers my question.

    ¡°Clothes for me?¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t keep wearing those same clothes forever, right?¡±

    I looked back to myself. I¡¯m still wearing the very clothes I have ever since I came to this world. Well, with the help of cleaning magic, my clothes are still fresh and not smelly. But I guess she¡¯s right, I can¡¯t wear these all the time.

    ¡°You¡¯re buying clothes for me ? That¡¯s very kind of you. Do you know that in my world, when a master gives their servant clothing, that means the servant is free?¡±

    Of course, it¡¯s not true, but she doesn¡¯t know that.

    ¡°Good thing this isn¡¯t your world, then.¡±

    Deborah looks at me with an irritated gaze, finding next to no humor within my joke. She handpicks several white shirts and asks me to try for the size. We exchange some opinions about clothing for me to wear. Personally, I prefer something that look remotely similar to my old clothes. Ironic as it sounds, I like the clothes from my old world more than this world, they give me a sense of familiarity, and help remind me of who I am as someone who does not belong to this world. After several tries and picks, Deborah is finally able to chooses several shirts and trousers that fit my criteria. Though, she still has yet to announce the end of our shopping trip.

    ¡°If you want anything else, take it now before we leave.¡±

    This begins to look more and more like a mother taking her child to the supermarket, rather than two teenagers having a good time shopping, or in our case, maybe a master buying some stuff her pet dog needs.

    Well, I remember that there¡¯s still a promise I have to fulfill, that is to make Amadia¡¯s her own Mr.Cat. And this is a chance for me to obtain the necessary materials, can¡¯t let it slide before my eyes.

    ¡°I wonder if this shop has some kind of fabric. And a sewing kit, I need tools as well.¡±

    I search for several counters, and finally find some of them, along with a sewing kit. Since I don¡¯t have any tools in my possession, I take a sewing set along with the fabrics I need.

    ¡°Are you going to make a dress or what?¡±

    Deborah asks a question when I return to the shop owner¡¯s counter..

    ¡°It¡¯s a secret.¡±

    Secrets make a man man. Or was it the other way around?

    ¡°Heh? Just what are you intend to do behind my back? Let me guess, you got invited to a tea party somewhere and need a fancy dress to go along with it? If so, just let me know, I don¡¯t think you have what it takes to make an astonishing dress for yourself.¡±

    ¡°Oh shut up. I bet you can¡¯t even sew.¡±

    ¡°You never know until you try!¡±

    Deborah shouts, accompanied with a blush on her face. That¡¯s how people give away their weakness to others, you know?

    Despite having all the things we need in hand, the shop owner hasn¡¯t show up yet. Maybe he¡¯s still in the middle of feeding Fidus. Since Deborah is pretty talkative today, how about I ask her about her recent strange behaviour? I won¡¯t have another chance like this if she¡¯s going back to sulk by herself once again after today.

    ¡°Hey Deborah, you know what? Ever since Amadia¡¯s defeat, you have been acting very strange, you know?¡±

    ¡°I was?¡±

    Deborah answers as she averts her gaze from matching mine.

    ¡°Maybe I was.¡±

    Strangely, that girl doesn¡¯t bother to deny her odd behaviours. Somehow, that makes her even stranger than her normal self. And for the first time ever since our endeavor to this shop, Deborah looks at my eyes, actively looking at me like she is searching for something deep inside my eyes, but soon, she gives up as she sighs and replies.

    ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s just me being weird. Don¡¯t mind me. Just do as you always do.¡±

    Is that her way of saying ¡°I¡¯m PMS-ing, don¡¯t come near me¡± in her mental dictionary? That should be the most logical reason for her recent behaviours.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m always here. If you need someone to lend an ear, feel free to ask me.¡±

    I¡¯m not exactly an expert of girls¡¯s mentality, but this is the least I can do if someone near me have problems that they need to let out. My mouth may not say the wisest words, but my ears know how to be a good listener.

    Deborah just briefly smiles before giving out her answer..

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that what pets are for?¡±

    ¡°Well, you should let me act my part once in a while.¡±

    ¡°Ha ha, right. Forgot about that.¡±

    Unlike earlier, Deborah¡¯s current smile looks forced and unnatural, as if she doesn¡¯t want to talk to me anymore about anything, like I¡¯m a real nuisance to her. From what little I know of her, Deborah won¡¯t hesitate to let me know she hates my guts, but this...is something else that I don¡¯t understand. This isn¡¯t just a simple hate...

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m holding a terrible secret or anything. Maybe it¡¯s just because of recent weather. Give me sometime, I¡¯ll become normal again before you know it.¡±

    ¡°If you say so.¡±

    I¡¯ll take her words for granted for the time being. I¡¯ll stop pursue this topic. It¡¯s not like getting pushy can solve any of our already complicated communication problems.

    ¡°Beside, I just got words that the Headmaster wanted me to come to her office after lunch break. Everytime she does, it means something bad will probably happen, one way or another. So I¡¯m rather irritated since I don¡¯t know what is she plotting this time.¡±

    Well, she got that right. I know full well of what she just said, since I have experienced the Headmaster¡¯s ¡°summon¡± first hand.

    ¡°I see. Good luck to you then.¡±

    After the end of our conversation, the shop owner finally shows up to end the deal. A bunch of clothes, some fabrics, and a sewing kit. Deborah pays for all of them, though for some reason she doesn¡¯t look very happy afterward. Of course, she¡¯s using her own wallet to pay for my stuff, after all.

    We give out our goodbye when the school bell is tolled at the end of the lunch break. Deborah will have to see the Headmaster, and I have plans of my own, that is to take a look at my final choice of Department ¨C the Alchemy Art.

    --------------------------------------

    Ever since my first adventure during the search for Departments, I already have a firm grasp for the scale of this Academy. Learning from my prior experience, before my departure, I asked Iola ¨C my class president ¨C about the way to the Alchemy Art Department. Apparently, this Department is located far away from the other two, in a small keep which also houses a supply storage and a library. And that¡¯s it, even Iola herself didn¡¯t know the exact location of the Department¡¯s classrooms since from her words, she described this Department as ¡°a class of hermits¡±.

    From what I know of, the art of alchemy isn¡¯t held with high regards in the eyes of many students of this academy. This academy is a military academy, which serves to train able-bodied warriors and sound mind mages to fight on the frontline. However, an alchemist¡¯s role is purely for support ¨C something even combat mages are capable of, and sometimes excel at it. And so, this Department is seen as a type of Hufflepuff house ¨C a place for those who need to stay away from weapons lest they stab themselves, along with those who can¡¯t get past the requirements to become a member of the Magic Art Department. A leftover Department.

    That sounds like a place perfectly made just for me. My own haven.

    The problem is how to find the location of that haven.

    I have come to this keep myself, only to find myself welcomed by literally nothing. This place is empty, without anyone around to ask for direction. It also has many vacant classrooms, yet none is in use at the moment. As much as I know it lies on the student¡¯s duty to find his own classroom, it¡¯s still pretty jarring and annoying without any guidance of when and where.

    Before I waste more time to complain however, from my behind, there is a girl suddenly walks toward this keep with some books on her hand. She puts no restraint on her feet, and gracefully runs like she¡¯s in a hurry. The strange thing about this girl is how she dresses: With a black noble-lady-like dress, dark opera gloves and a pitch black veil covering her head and face, the girl looks like she¡¯s more well dressed for a funeral rather than a class. Her black cloak uniform probably doesn¡¯t help. Her movements are pretty graceful, like a noble, educated girl. Her dress code makes her a very mysterious person. And her long dark blue hair flown down to her hips contributes much to her own charm.

    But enough internal flattering, ain¡¯t no way I¡¯ll let this chance to ask for directions slides before my eyes.

    ¡°Excuse me?¡±

    When the girl nearly walks past me, I let out a voice. She stops, but not in a hurry to give her reply, not until she takes a look around of her in search of something.

    ¡°Are you¡­talking to me¡­?¡±

    She points her finger to herself as she answers.

    ¡°Well yes. I don¡¯t see anyone else.¡±

    As if not convinced by my words, the girl starts another search around her before returning to continue the conversation.

    ¡°Right, you¡¯re talking to me¡­¡±

    Yep, another girl with issues. You can¡¯t be far too normal in this kind of time.

    ¡°How can be of help? Please make it brief, good sir, since I¡¯m already late for my class.¡±

    ¡°Your class? Are you by any chance a student of the Alchemy Art Department?¡±

    Obviously, since I learned from Iola this is the only Department that held classes at this place. That means I hit the jackpot this time.

    ¡°Yes, I am. What is your business with our department, good sir?¡±

    The girl locks her hands in front of her dress, a very lady-like gesture.

    ¡°I want to take a look at this class since I transferred midway to this Academy, and I¡¯m not fit to join either the War Art or Magic Art.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s your story, I see.¡±

    The girl subtly nods.

    ¡°If so, then allow me to escort you to my class. Let us make haste, since the class is probably already in session by now.¡±

    I guess that explains her hurried attitude earlier. No reason to keep her busy, then.

    With the mysterious girl leading the way, I follow her to the class. After climbing two set of stairs, we arrive at the alchemy classroom. Just as the girl predicted earlier, the class is already in session. The girl silently knocks on the door for courtesy¡¯s sake before coming inside with me following behind.

    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.¡°My deepest apology for my late arrival, Mrs.Prophetissima.¡±

    The girl lowly bows her head as she faces the teach. The teacher in charge is an old woman, and a real one, not just in behaviour like the Headmaster. The woman before me is old in both appearance and spirit. Her dried skin, whitened hair due to old age do nothing to hide her eldery image. There¡¯s nothing suggesting a fake youthfulness. Her attire is just a simple antiquated knee-length white tunic, making her look like an old oracle hiding from society more than teacher for a bunch of wannabe alchemists.

    ¡°Must be due to jobs of the Student Council again, I presume?¡±

    The girl just bows again in response.

    ¡°That¡¯s alright. You may take your seat, Miss Asphodel. But I suggest you should spend more time as a student of this class more than as this Academy¡¯s Student Council President.¡±

    ¡°My deepest apology. I shall take heed of your advice.¡±

    The old woman¡¯s attention suddenly turns at me, the stranger she has yet to meet.

    ¡°And the young cadet behind you, who is he?¡±

    Asks the old woman, her question directed to the girl.

    ¡°He is someone who have yet to choose his own department, and wishes to observe our class before making his own choice.¡±

    ¡°I see. I see.¡±

    The old lady mumbles to herself.

    ¡°Young man. What is your name?¡±

    I walk deeper into the class. At that very moment, the gaze of this whole class turns upon me. There are about thirty students in this class, most of them look like the ¡°serious¡± type of student, the kind that won¡¯t be any fun at parties. Well, I had worse classmates before, so it¡¯s not like it will affect me much.

    ¡°It¡¯s Akuma.¡±

    I introduce myself to the old teacher in the briefest way possible. I¡¯m here to observe and learn, not to make a show and entertain people, so there¡¯s no point dragging this out.

    ¡°Akuma? You¡¯re that rumoured rising star? Intriguing indeed.¡±

    Despite being aware of my recent deed, the old lady doesn¡¯t look very amazed, just like her whole class, with no one bother to bat an eye when they hear my name. Seems like the rumor of this class being a nest for hermits is true, or the feat of defeating Amadia isn¡¯t that impressive as I thought it is. However, if the old teacher at least knows about me, then it saves me the trouble of making a long introduction about myself to people who don¡¯t give a damn.

    ¡°Enough talk. If you wish to observe, then please do it in the back in silence. I still have a class to teach. And you, Miss Asphodel, please return to your seat. We don¡¯t have much time left to spare.¡±

    ¡°Yes, teacher.¡±

    The girl bows yet again, and takes her leave to the very back of this class, sitting near the corner by the windows, keeping a far distance from all of her classmates. This whole class doesn¡¯t give any special look for her choice of seat, like it is just an everyday thing. Strange¡­

    I don¡¯t know anyone in this class, and with my first look, this class doesn¡¯t seems to be very newbie friendly. I guess there¡¯s no point sitting near anyone, except with the girl I just met. I¡¯m curious about her and it would be better than sitting next to some goody two shoes. And thus, I choose to sit near the anti-social girl. Only at this moment does the whole class pays attention to my choice of seat, with the girl herself sounds equally surprised.

    ¡°You¡¯re sitting near me¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, I am sitting near you in case you haven¡¯t noticed. Is there a problem?¡±

    I don¡¯t think the girl has some prejudice against men in general, but I guess she does has her own issues regarding people breathing in the same air as her.

    ¡°No, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Since I¡¯m new here, it¡¯s best to have someone experienced to give me some pointers here and there. Don¡¯t you think?¡±

    The girl falls silent, at least for a few seconds before she makes her mind.

    ¡°...Alright, I¡¯ll help you with what I can. Though it would be best if you stay away from me after we¡¯re done. It¡¯s¡­for your own good. I¡¯m sorry, but I hope you understand.¡±

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m used to it.¡±

    Living together with Deborah eventually gave me some bravery for situations like this. I don¡¯t know what gimmicks this girl has, but I¡¯m not scared, at least for the time being.

    The period finally resumes when the old lady continues her lectures. On the blackboard are several formulas that I know nothing about. The lecture keeps going on and on, with nothing goes inside my head due to obvious reasons as a know-nothing observer. The girl sitting beside me however is diligently writing notes on her notebook, without letting go of her gaze upon the blackboard. Although it¡¯s rather rare to see someone writing notes while wearing opera gloves, however.

    ¡°Since the finals are coming in less than a month, let us do some reviews on past lectures. Let¡¯s begin with the basic ¡¸Synthesization¡¹.¡±

    All of the students¡¯s attention are fixed upon small cauldrons placed on all the study desks beforehand. The old lady suddenly pulls out a knife from her own desk and said.

    ¡°Let¡¯s practice with an easy task. Your job is to make a replica of this knife with materials of your choosing. You have fifteen minutes.¡±

    All the students suddenly stand up and leave the class.

    ¡°So, what are we gonna do now?¡±

    I ask the girl sitting near me.

    ¡°We need to go to the material storage room first.¡±

    Says the girl as she stands up to do the same as her classmates. I follow her to the storage room. It is located beneath this floor, near the school library and the supply storage. In this room houses various materials, which were classified into types and categories, the basic ones are organic and metallic materials. It probably helps that most materials names sound the same like they were back in my old world, like iron, steels, chrome¡­et cetera¡­Why they have names similar like the ones from Earth is beyond my understanding, however. I doubt they would have the exact names like iron or copper. Maybe magic is once again at work here...

    Well, it¡¯s not like I can clear it up if I waste time thinking hard about it. Better focus on the immediate task.

    Only at this moment has I realize how convenient it is for the Alchemy Art Department to be located in this building. Or should I say that this is the very reason it was located here? Since this whole keep also serves as the castle¡¯s own big storage, it provides many necessary materials for the Department¡¯s own use. The library itself also acts as a storage of knowledge, something the more egghead alchemists would certainly appreciate.

    I only pick what the mysterious girl picked, and return to the classroom together with her. The very moment we return, the class¡¯s atmosphere becomes tense when every students use their own cauldron to complete the task bestowed upon them. I guess the only exception is our table, with me and that strange girl included, since we haven¡¯t start our job yet.

    ¡°Now that I think about it, I have yet to hear your name.¡±

    Since I ¡°introduced¡± myself earlier, I guess it would be unnecessary to do it again. Before the girl even gives me her name, she just bows before doing her introduction, like a true proper lady, unlike that rebellious teenager Deborah.

    ¡°My name is Kardia Asphodel. It is a pleasure to be acquainted with you, Sir Akuma.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Akuma is fine. You don¡¯t have to be so fancy with words.¡±

    I¡¯m not the fan of honorifics to start with.

    ¡°But that is against my teachings.¡±

    Says the girl.

    ¡°But you¡¯ll make me feel uncomfortable. I would prefer if you be more casual around me.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The girl just silently nods.

    ¡°Very well, I will just call you Akuma from now. Please forgive me for my rudeness.¡±

    ¡°Alright alright, Kardia. You didn¡¯t do anything wrong to apologize.¡±

    Damn, this girl is so polite it¡¯s actually hurt. Though, let¡¯s get to business, we don¡¯t have much time left, shouldn¡¯t waste what little we have.

    ¡°Since I¡¯m new here, would you care to elaborate on how should we do this stuff?¡±

    ¡°You mean the synthesization? You have no knowledge on how to perform one?¡±

    Technically, I know some, though it¡¯s just a basic knowledge of alchemy back in my world, like ¡°turning lead into gold¡± or stuff like that. Since I have no idea on how this things work, it¡¯s best to venture through this with a beginner¡¯s mindset and rely on my beginner¡¯s luck.

    ¡°Nope, not a clue.¡±

    ¡°I see. Then please allow me to give you a basic explanation on synthesization.¡±

    On the desk right now is several materials to make a knife which we just acquired earlier. And about a gallon of water, taken straight from the storage room. Though my guts tell me this is no ordinary water, for some reason.

    ¡°First, we need a medium for synthesization, that is soul energy-infused water.¡±

    The girl picks up the gallon of water and pours some of them to the small cauldron.

    ¡°It will become the catalyst to help mold materials into our ideal final product.¡±

    The materials that we acquired are ingot-shaped, with variable sizes to serve different purposes of the Alchemist. Kardia takes several iron and steel ingots and drops them into the cauldron full with water.

    ¡°After that, we need to prepare a place for our product to appear, an output. This is only possible using Image Magic.¡±

    Using her finger, Kardia focuses a small chunk of soul energy on her finger and begins drawing, she puts one magic circle on the cauldron itself, and one on the wooden desk. After she¡¯s done, her drawings begins to take shape and becomes visible for human¡¯s eyes. They are pretty simple, she drew two small circles opposite of each other within one big circle. One circle has a small tree representing the Wood, the other with a fire symbol representing Fire. Between each of them, there are two directional arrows, as to symbolize the combination of the two of them. It may be just a speculation, but my interpretation is that the bigger circle is the universe, with the Wood circle is Jupiter, and the Fire circle is Mars, the arrows representing the link between the two planet.

    This is only getting harder, though that doesn¡¯t make it any less interesting.

    ¡°Here come the hard parts. We need to break down the materials to the molecular level by manipulating the soul energy in water with our own soul energy.¡±

    Kardia puts her hand on the cauldron.

    ¡°This process needs a lot of focus and concentration. You need to mentally structurize your desired product. Mapping every inch of the thing you want to make, its shape, its hardness, its properties. Then, you combine all of them into one being, mold them into the shape you have in your head. It¡¯s a tiring process that takes time to train. But maybe one day, you can do it without any trouble.¡±

    As she talks, the water inside the cauldron starts to boil, with steam and smoke keep spewing out like an ancient steam locomotive. After a few seconds, the magic circle on the desk lightens, and before my very eyes, the knife we were tasked to make begins to appear, slowly, with every part of it down to the tiny dusks of metal taking shape from start to finish. And finally, the knife is done.

    ¡°Can I?¡±

    The girl just nods when I ask that question.

    I pick up the knife. It¡¯s light, yet still have the weight of a weapon. I slowly swing the knife to test it out, it doesn¡¯t feel any less natural than a normal-made knife you can find anywhere. This knife is perfectly crafted, or should I say, synthesized.

    ¡°That concluded my explaination on synthesization.¡±

    I¡¯m amazed, really, not just because of the knife, but the fact that Kardia made one in a flash while giving me a simple lecture on the whole process, with her concentration never waver even just a bit during the making of this knife.

    ¡°It¡¯s a pretty simple lecture. Thank you.¡±

    ¡°You asked me for help. It¡¯s only my duty to comply, please don¡¯t think too much of it.¡±

    For some reason, I feel a faint smile beneath the veil that covers her face.

    So, the whole synthesization business is: Take materials, mold them using soul energy manipulation and concentrate, make them appear on a magic circle and profit. Sounds easy¡­on paper, but my experience with practical magic begs to differ.

    The other students are already done with their own knives, though it seems like each student need to make one for themselves to qualify for this little test. While I¡¯m just an observer for today, as I received Kardia¡¯s lecture, I feel inclined to make one myself.

    ¡°Feel free to give it a try, Akuma.¡±

    Like she was reading my thought, Kardia lets out a voice. All the materials are here, I think I can resuse Kardia¡¯s magic circle. The groundworks have already been laid out. Yep, this should be easy.

    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll try.¡±

    First, I need to take the materials. She didn¡¯t mention, but I think the materials need to be in the right amount, not too many, nor not to few. After I gauge the number of required materials, I drop several to the cauldron and begin to imitate what Kardia did earlier.

    Break down the materials => Structurize the shape => Mold the materials to the desired shape.

    My soul energy manipulation is bad, due to not being proficient in using magic, but I think I am capable of accomplishing this job, though it would take longer than normal. The last part has become true, as it takes me about five minutes before the knife starts to take shape and appears in the output magic circle.

    It¡¯s a good timing, since the very moment I¡¯m done, the teacher of this class, with the name that is whispered into my ear by Kardia - Miriam Prophetissima ¨C is already standing by our desk after she¡¯s done inspecting products of others.

    ¡°As good as always, Miss Asphodel. You¡¯ll be a fine Alchemist in the future.¡±

    The teacher comments as she examine the knife Kardia made. The girl just replies ¡°Thank you¡± in return. Then, the next one is my knife. The shape is a little different from the sample knife, a tad uglier and by no means fancy, but I think I did my best. At least it did come out on my first try. Beginner¡¯s luck, please do you work.

    ¡°Acceptable, Mr.Akuma.¡±

    I let out a small sigh of relief and drop down my guard as I hear those words from the teacher¡¯s mouth. But that was my mistake.

    CLANG!

    The old lady swings the knife down to the desk, a light swing, hardly poses a danger to anyone. But the very moment the knife¡¯s blade touches the desk¡¯s surface, it breaks down to numerous pieces, small as specks of dust. I find myself awing in shock, since seeing my first alchemy work destroyed before my very eyes isn¡¯t exactly a pleasant scenery to witness.

    But, I need to stomach what just happened with an objective view. Miriam is an old lady, a real old lady, with the arm strength of an elder standing near Death¡¯s door. If an old lady can break my knife without putting any effort, then it really has issues. Also, instead of pieces, it broke down into specks of metal dust. That¡¯s not a good sign of a well-made craft.

    I guess my work wasn¡¯t as good as I thought. Though I don¡¯t understand why the old woman said ¡°Acceptable¡± before destroying my knife. That really bugs me.

    ¡°The word acceptable is the lowest critique an Alchemist wants to hear.¡±

    After the teacher leaves our desk, Kardia begins to explain the old teacher¡¯s action.

    ¡°We craft items not for our own use, but for others. A bad or failed item won¡¯t be used by anyone, but an acceptable item may. We need our items to be at the finest quality, to ensure they can work the way they were created to work, for as far as we know, even simple items can be the key standing between the gate of life and death. This is how those who don¡¯t wish to fight like us can contribute to the war happening on our soil.¡±

    Says Kardia. I can sympathize with this kind of view, somewhat. As I was the heir to a Pharmacy Group, I understand how important it is about the consistency of the quality in the drugs we made.

    ¡°Please forgive teacher for what she just did. It¡¯s...her own way of teaching.¡±

    Before I can answer, I suddenly hear a subtle laugh coming from behind Kardia¡¯s dark veil.

    ¡°I myself got into the same situation like you the first time I tried to perform alchemy as well.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    With how perfect her knife is, I can¡¯t imagine this girl as someone who failed her first assignment.

    ¡°It takes time, but one day, you too can get better at using Alchemy. Only if you join this class, that is.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I guess.¡±

    As much as I hate to admit it, but I¡¯m pretty thrilled when the teacher did her stuff earlier. It¡¯s a kind of tough love in my eyes, though not to the extent of Mr.Bjarni¡¯s MANLY COMMUNICATION. It¡¯s a thing I really need right now to mold myself to my ideal self.

    Right, I have already made up my mind.

    ¡°I¡¯ll join this class.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure? Akuma. We are hardly the most relevant Department in the big picture. Yet, you still want to join?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a scaredy cat. People¡¯s words ain¡¯t stopping me from doing what I want.¡±

    Beside, it¡¯s not like I can meet the necessary requirements to join the other Departments anyway.

    ¡°I see. Then, allow me to make the arrangements. As the student council president, this is the least I can do as a member of this class.¡±

    Wait, what? This girl is the academy¡¯s student council president?

    I think I heard something like that during the beginning of this class. But to think I forgot such important detail¡­

    After the class ends, most of the students rapidly leave the class. Only I, Kardia and the old teacher remain. When we are done with all the paperwork stuff, as per request of the teacher, Kardia gives me an armband, with the symbol of a red snake biting it¡¯s tail inside a circle.

    ¡°From now on, please embark the symbol of ¡¸Crimson Serpent Ouroboros¡¹ ¨C the forefather of Alchemy ¨C on your arm. We welcome you to our Department as a fellow Alchemist. It is nice to meet you, Akuma.¡±

    Says Kardia as she bestows my armband to my hand. I take the armband and wear it on my right arm, finally sealing the deal.

    From this day onward, I am an Alchemist!

 Chapter 12: A conflict of will and choice

    The life of a newbie Alchemist isn¡¯t exactly an eventful one. The basic classes in the first year curriculum are Object Creation, Potion Brewing, Supportive Magic and Field Training, which consist of mostly theories. Three days since my enrollment to this Department, and I still find myself having difficulty fitting into this new enviroment. None of my efforts work so far, since aside from the weird girl who¡¯s also happened to be the Student Council President, no one else in this class bother enough to make acquaintance with me. Though, it doesn¡¯t trouble me more than it should, since I¡¯m not the social type to begin with. If they don¡¯t want to make basic social interactions, then it¡¯s fine by me. It¡¯s not like unfamiliar.

    However, being friendless is the least of my concern right now.

    Deborah has been missing for three days. Ever since her meeting with the Headmaster, no one saw her around the castle, she didn¡¯t even attend her classes.

    Despite that, when I asked Iola and Caelan, they told me this isn¡¯t the first time it happens. They said whenever Deborah is upset about something, she occasionally run away somewhere for a few days before returning. They also told me not to get too worried about her.

    Well, my roommate just disappeared for three days straight, and they told me not to worry.

    Still, they¡¯re right...in a way, even if I get worried and try to do something, I¡¯m still a new face in this world. Even if I know where she is, I¡¯m not even sure how can I reach that place if it¡¯s outside of this school. And since both of them are friends with Deborah longer than I have, I¡¯ll believe them...for the time being.

    And if you think about it, I can¡¯t imagine the possibilty of that girl, that Deborah, get kidnapped by someone. Nope, not a chance.

    With that in mind, all I can do right now is to continue my life here like normal, waiting for the day that girl returns. That still doesn¡¯t make me feel any better, though. If this continues, I¡¯m afraid I might do something stupid.

    Today marks the fourth day ever since Deborah¡¯s disappearance. Our Department has a Field Training class today. Even though it is called a Department, ours only has one class and our total number of students is more than thirty at best, including me of course. It¡¯s a pretty sad sight when we get to the school¡¯s backyard for field study and encounter a class belongs to the Magic Art in the middle of practicing, with number twice our class roster.

    The place we¡¯re going today is called Darkwood, a small forest located in the back of the school, but still within the castle¡¯s walls. While many call it the castle¡¯s garden, a small forest is still a forest in its roots. Numerous trees grew here and became the nest for various strange creatures to inhabit. It is also home to lots and lots of useful plants and some special minerals, which is the main purpose of today¡¯s study session. We are tasked with the harvesting of several types of herb to prepare for the potion brewing class tomorrow. Due to the existence of aggressive monsters inside the forest, we are advised to only look for ingredients at the entrance of the forest and forbidden from going deeper than necessary.

    When the field study class starts, several students divide themselves into small groups, with the inexperienced banding together with the more well-versed ones. There are of course some brave students who prefer to be left on their own devices, the peculiar student council president ¨C Kardia Asphodel ¨C is among those people, still being anti-social as usual.

    But since I¡¯m a newbie myself, of course I need to pester someone for help if I want to make any progress, so naturally, I ask her.

    ¡°You¡¯re standing near me.¡±

    Ahh yes, the usual greetings among the two of us everytime I try to make a conversation with her.

    ¡°You know what? This stopped being funny since the fiftieth time you said it.¡±

    ¡°Heh? I suppose so.¡±

    Says Kardia as she subtly giggles. Well, she¡¯s still a bit distant, but ever since the two of us became classmates, she has opened up a little, and began to tolerate my presence everytime I came up to her asking for helps. In a sense, she¡¯s the closest one I have to a friend in this class.

    ¡°So, our job today is getting some herbs to make painkillers, right? What should we get?¡±

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t that briefed to us earlier? You are so forgetful, Akuma.¡±

    ¡°It was? Really?¡±

    It was?

    ¡°Yes. Mrs.Prophetissima explained earlier on the materials we should acquire before sending us to the forest.¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah, I remembered that part.¡±

    Crap, I totally forgot about that.

    ¡°You are absent-minded lately. Did something happen?¡±

    She sounds worried. It¡¯s hard to see her emotions when she¡¯s donning herself a veil over her head like some sort of nun, but her tender but confused voice says it all.

    ¡°I am? Well, maybe a little. Something did happen. But nothing serious. Really.¡±

    Can¡¯t let others involved to my problems. Yeah, need to keep remind myself that I totally do not worry about that girl. Yep, totally not!

    ¡°If you say so.¡±

    Kardia turns her head to look at the forest. Despite this class being a field study class, she¡¯s still wearing her funeral attire like it is everyday clothing, maybe it probably is. Kinda makes it a little jarring sight to behold, but in a sense, I guess that oufit kinda fits her. Don¡¯t know why I think that way, though.

    ¡°The necessary ingredients are Hermit herbs and Blood flowers. If you have an encyclopedia on herbs and flowers, you¡¯ll notice them right away.¡±

    ¡°I see. Then, thanks for your reminder. I¡¯ll handle the rest alone.¡±

    Since half of the students go deeper to the forest for better chances at completing their task, ain¡¯t no way I¡¯m gonna stay here and look after places others had already searched and ransacked.

    ¡°You intend to go deeper? I won¡¯t stop you, but please beware that there are monsters living in this forest, along with herbs and flowers that have undesireable effects like the Spirit Calling flower.¡±

    ¡°I know. I still remember the important parts.¡±

    However, if the monsters are actually dangerous as they sound, the school¡¯s administrative committee would have already deal with them before they pose a threat. I think they left those monsters here in this forest because they think us students have enough combat prowess to defend ourselves. If so, then as long as I be careful, there probably won¡¯t be any problems.

    The gun is still in my pocket. My insurance. If I have that within me, then this should be okay.

    ¡°If you wish so, then please be safe on your journey.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your concern.¡±

    Kardia bows when I give out my goodbye. If Kardia ever comes my old world, she¡¯ll probably effortlessly beat the girls of my country in a proper lady contest, and that¡¯s saying something.

    And so, I venture deeper to the forest, with a herbal collecting bag in my hand. The black cloak and straw bag combo makes me look like the Black Riding Hood. Most of the trees here are already dead, leaving only the empty dried husks of what they used to be. The only things remain on them are strange black leaves that haven¡¯t let themselves fall to the ground.The cold Winter is coming, and yet for some reason, apart from the trees themselves, herbs and other type of plants are still growing strong as ever. Perhaps growing on such a hellish land such as the Demon Realm granted these herbs the strength to make it through anything, even the dreaded Winter.

    This place is like a heaven for herbalists, but the atmostphere here makes it look like the Ninth circle of Hell. Cold and distant, eerie and devoid of life, aside from the silently growing herbs beneath the sun¡¯s notice, hidden under the sea of black leaves above them.

    Well, I think I walked deep enough. It¡¯s time to start the search.

    The first problem is to know the appearance of Hermit herbs and Blood flowers, and where to find both of them. Yet, here I am, empty-handed with no handy reference books to help. Seems hopeless alright.

    But that only applies to the ¡°me¡± before joining this Department. Ever since my joining, thanks to the help of Kardia, I have learned several nifty tricks, or to be precise, magic spells.

    First, I need to acquire the necessary informations.

    I close my eyes. Using my mind, I gather my internal soul energy within my body to stimulate my brain, particularly in the Temporal lobe. When the preparations are completed, I begin chanting.

    ¡°??om ??? b?q?? o? inn?? ?oul, I ??ll ?o??? my b??q??? m?mo?i??.¡±

    The moment I finish using the ¡¸Remembrance¡¹ spell, my memories begin to flood over all of my mind. However, they are all chaotic and endless, I can¡¯t exactly see anything until I visualize my desired information, like inputting a keyword and sending it to a search engine. When I focus on the herbal encyclopedia, my memories take a surge, and send those relevant information stored in my memory bank to my awareness. As of now, instead being inside a forest, my eyes begin to play tricks on me, as they show me sitting in my room, diligently reading the new herbal encyclopedia given to me by the teacher, on the day before the field training.

    ¡¸Remembrance¡¹ spell can be called a ¡°homemade Google¡±. It turns your whole brain into a database with your own memories as data. However, this spell doesn¡¯t grant the user total omniscient of their memory. You can only access something when you have the slightest glimpse of it. You can¡¯t remember something you had already forgotten. This spell only lets you connect the dots from the fragments of your conscious memories, let them live again through your eyes and that¡¯s it.

    This is a very useful spell, because I certainly don¡¯t think I can remember the correct details of every science tv show I have ever watched.

    Since I read half of the encyclopedia the very day I got my hand on one, the problematic part comes from in what page did I see the Hermit herbs and Blood flower. Since I have complete control over viewing this shard of my memory, it only takes several seconds until I find the information I need.

    The Hermit herbs grow near the root of trees that have access to a great deal of sunlight. Like its namesake, despite leeching of the nutrition of the tree, they prefer to stay away from sunlight and only band together near the roots, away from any sort of attention. They are green in color, which might pose a problem if this forest isn¡¯t so dead as it is, so it doesn¡¯t take long for me to acquire the number required and store them to my bag.

    That¡¯s one thing done. However, Blood flowers are more problematic than Hermit herbs. In the lore, they are said to be normal flowers which were transformed to their aforementioned namesake when they bathe in the blood of people killed by monsters, with their grief turning beautiful flowers into the incarnation of their sorrows. Blah blah more magical stuff. Well, from the sound of its name, the first clue is its blood red-like color. The hard part is there are also many other types of red flowers in this forest, and Blood flowers often grow among other flowers, red flowers included.

    That means I need another way to find it, by using my second learned spell.

    ¡° ??? ??? ?nowl?b?? o? olb ?nli??? my ?i????.¡±

    Again, I gather my soul energy in my brain, this time connecting my Occipital lobe to the Temporal lobe. After the spell, ¡¸Analyze¡¹, was chanted, for every object I look at, I gain a hunch telling me its properties. Like a tree made from wood and many other components. This spell gives me details about the components on objects my eyes can see, but only if I have prior knowledge on the components themselves first-hand. For example, I can only know a Rock [Item] is made from Rock [Material] if I have prior knowledge about Rock [Material] first. A kinda useless and obvious spell, which totally earn the nickname I made for it: ¡¸Obvious Vision¡¹.

    Let¡¯s get back to business. The Blood flower is special because it has a high amount of acetylsalicylic acid inside. It¡¯s also another name for Aspirin in my world. Well, not many people have interest in chemical and medical stuff, myself included, but I¡¯m a bit of a special case. To think that there¡¯ll come the day my training to become the heir of a large medical and chemical corporation would prove to be useful in another world.

    Going deeper in the forest, I stumble upon a place with bushes and bushes of flowers gathering in a small lot inside of the forest. It looks like a man-made garden rather than the work of mother nature. However, since no one is here, I¡¯ll take it as my ¡°First-come First-serve¡± privilege and begin the search for ingredients.

    Within a bush of red flowers, I find several ones with high concentration of acetylsalicylic acid. Yep, these are Blood flowers alright. With this harvest, I have completed my task. Time to return.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    It¡¯s too bad that today I don¡¯t have the chance to use my third learned spell - ¡¸Distortion¡¹. But no matter, I¡¯ll get another chance eventually.

    ¡°Grhhhh!¡±

    However, before I can return, suddenly, a bunch of growling noises come from nearby. After a second, several dog-like monsters jump out from the bushes. Though, rather than dogs, they look more like hyenas, if they happened to go through a make-up session arranged by Satan himself, that is. They have black burnt-like fur, eyes that are full of bloodlust and fangs in places they shouldn¡¯t be. Their saliva keep drooling outside like a hungry beast before a tasty treat, which is obviously human meat made from me.

    As much as I am afraid of this danger, the moment I grab my gun and draw it outside, confidence begins to fill up my mind. There are about five hyena monsters, while I have ten bullets left. This shouldn¡¯t prove to be too hard, but I must be careful, else I¡¯ll become their lunch. My thin body won¡¯t taste that good, so I can¡¯t let that happen, can¡¯t I?

    ¡°Grahhh!¡±

    One hyena takes a step behind to gear up for a lunging attack. The very moment it is done, the hyana runs swiftly toward my direction, baring its fangs outside in attempt to intimidate its prey. In response, I pull my gun toward the demonic hyena, ready my trigger at any moment to shoot the incoming monster.

    However, before I have the chance to do so, a firebal suddenlyl comes from out of nowhere and hits the hyena. It gets burned to the ground. The burning hyena keeps howling when its life reaches its end, and the sound only gets weaker and weaker in conjunction with what little life force it has left. The scream of death. When it finally dies, what remains of the hyana is not a burned corpse, but a pile of ashes made from a former living being.

    The remaining hyenas raise their alert when one of their own is gone. From a tree nearby, a person jumps out and lands on the ground. A girl clad in a black cloak, with red hair flowing down to her hips, accompanied by a beautiful yet slightly irritated stare. Her red eyes look intimidating, like a mighty predator staring down its inferiors. The hyenas slowly change their reactions from anger to downright terror. They run with tail between their legs the moment that girl takes a step forward. This place slowly returns to the silent garden it once was.

    ¡°Deborah.¡±

    I break that very silent when the girl that stands in the opposite of me throws me a look filled with anxiousness.

    ¡°We are worried about you.¡±

    However, that anxiousness suddenly turns into hostility. Her eyes sharpen, like how she put fear to those hyenas earlier. The only difference this time is those eyes are glaring at me, like I¡¯m no different than the filthy beasts earlier.

    I feel pressured, a very unnatural pressure. Unlike those hyenas which could only scare me because of the surprise element, Deborah, however, feel completely different. Her mere existence alone is capable of putting pressure on the atmosphere itself, bending everything within her radius to subject to her will and desire. It intimidates me enough to the point I have to obey my fear instinct and firmly grab my own gun, ready to fire at any moment¡¯s notice, despite completely knowing the girl in front of me is far from an enemy.

    ¡°Deborah?¡±

    I let out a voice. Deborah doesn¡¯t reply, nor does she drop her hostility down. Instead, I can feel some killing intents radiated from her glare alone. Deborah holds out her right arm toward me. The air pressure feels like it was crushed the very moment Deborah gathers her soul energy in preparation for some sort of spell. It¡¯s like the light around her was warped, twisted like a child¡¯s toy with her gathering of soul energy alone.

    Doesn¡¯t take a genius to know that the very target of her spell is obvious me, the one standing in front of her.

    ¡°M??? my wo?b?, ???v?n? ! ?ul?ill you? o??? ?nb od?y my ?omm?nb ! ?n??l ?o m? ?nb dow d??o?? you? M?????!¡±

    A flash of light comes from Deborah¡¯s direction, accompanied by a strong gust of wind. Her spell has been successfully chanted.

    However, nothing happens. Despite the flashy effects, nothing comes out from the spell she just used.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you attack?¡±

    This time, Deborah is the first one to open the conversation. Her hostility still remains, yet it seems like she has drop down her guard for the moment in order to talk to me.

    ¡°You have that wand in your hand, yet why didn¡¯t you feel threatened? You can defend yourself with that thing, right? Then why?¡±

    ¡°You do know that I can read and speak Ancient Tounge, right ? That would mean I can read your spell and connect it to my memory database to know what is that spell. Isn¡¯t that one of the abilities bestowed upon me as your Familiar?¡±

    I answer. She just glare at me before replying.

    ¡°What Familiar¡­? If you know what spell that is, then connect the dots yourself!¡±

    I gulp when Deborah shouted. What an awkward situation I¡¯m in right now.

    I know full well what that spell is. ¡¸Absolute Obedience¡¹. It¡¯s a spell that takes away the free will of a Familiar and forces it to obey every single wishes and orders of the Master until the Master themselves decide to release it from its chains. And since I still have the urge to say something harsh to bash Deborah due to her intent to control me, that probably means her spell failed. Or rather¡­?

    ¡°What makes you want to control me?¡±

    It¡¯s not like much can be accomplished when one have control over me, though. I¡¯m rude and physically weak, although maybe I can be good at massaging shoulders.

    Deborah doesn¡¯t answer. She still tries to keep her vow of silent while maintaining the aversion of her gaze away from meeting mine, like a guilty kid who can¡¯t face her punishment at face value.

    ¡°What did I do to make you feel the need to gain complete control over me? Or maybe...I don¡¯t think that would be the case here.¡±

    Then there¡¯s only one thing left.

    ¡°Are you trying to confirm whether or not I¡¯m truly your familiar?¡±

    Deborah shakes her body in surprise, with that simple gesture alone, there¡¯s no need to ask for an answer.

    ¡°Does it matter that much?¡±

    ¡°It does!¡±

    Deborah shouts. Now, she just looks like a wounded puppy.

    ¡°Why is it? Why do you have doubt when you yourself is the one summoned me here to be your familiar?¡±

    ¡°Because¡­I never intended to summon you in the first place! Your whole summoning process was a failed one, an incomplete one! Sabotaged, by me¡­to have an undesireable effect! Yet, of all the thing that needed to happen, you showed up! It¡¯s like¡­a joke from fate itself.¡±

    For some reason, a stream of fury keeps rising slowly inside my body. My fists clench in an attemped to hold them back, yet I can¡¯t make it go away completely.

    ¡°If that was what happened, then in what right can you call yourself my familiar? You aren¡¯t supposed to be here in the first place! Your whole summoning here was a mistake, my mistake¡­What awaits you here is just a world full of death and suffering, yet why? Why did you choose to persist, to stay in a place that is not your home, away from those who are close to you?¡±

    "Because¡­I chose to.¡±

    I answer. It¡¯s just that simple.

    ¡°To be told what to do, how to live my life, who should I become¡­I¡¯m sick of it. For once, my life is mine to decide, ain¡¯t no way I¡¯m gonna let that chance slides away from my reach. No matter what you say, being your familiar or not, I chose to stay here, and only death itself could tear my choice apart.¡±

    Deborah drops her hostility completely, and replace it with anxiety and a sadden look.

    ¡°You¡¯re really stupid, you know? Just what do this world has to offer to make you so persistent?¡±

    ¡°To be honest: Almost nothing. The food is terrible, like, absolutely terrible. More than half the people here are terrible, you included. The weather is terrible, since it¡¯s cold most of the time. The scenery is slightly terrible, it has good parts and bad parts. It saddens me to say this, but I¡¯ve always thought my world was terrible, until my arrival to this place. You guys really make my world looks like it¡¯s a paradise, really.¡±

    Deborah throws away her anxious face and just gives me a confused gaze.

    ¡°Despite all that, you still choose to stay?¡±

    ¡°Well, demons don¡¯t live in paradise, since I am a demon from now on, I have no reason to go back to paradise. And since I pity the fool who has to be your familiar, I guess I¡¯ll keep this job for the time being.¡±

    For once, the tense atmosphere disappears when Deborah sublty laughs from my earlier statement. That¡¯s good, I don¡¯t think a tense appearance would fit in any girl¡¯s face, even if that girl is Deborah. Smiles are what girls should aim for, not a face that tells people someone just died in their house.

    ¡°You really are even more stupid than Caelan.¡±

    ¡°Hey, I am offended by that!¡±

    Despite my protest, Deborah just keeps laughing. Right¡­this is starting to get annoying.

    After a while, we let the silent take place in this flower garden when both keep trying to find the right words to speak. Deborah is the next to continue.

    ¡°So, you can get some benefits from the pact, yet can¡¯t be controlled by the Master. I think this is the first time in history that appears a unique being like you.¡±

    ¡°I know I¡¯m unique, you don¡¯t need to praise me all the time!¡±

    I laugh.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think your uniqueness is a positive one, though. Anyway, I just thought of a way to confirm wether or not you¡¯re my familiar. What to try it out? Though I warn you: This way is pretty risky for you.¡±

    ¡°What is your solution?¡±

    While the last bit of her explaination may give me some anxiety, if this succeed, maybe that would erase the fear for the unknown that Deborah has within her. Right, this happened because I keep playing the mysterious being card, which led to this misunderstanding. Time for me to make amend.

    ¡°It¡¯s pretty simple. I¡¯ll try to send you back to your world, well, only a little, anyway.¡±

    ¡°What is your ¡°little¡±?¡±

    Does that means an arm and a leg?

    ¡°Just enough to get the feel, hopefully. Think of it this way: Let say that I¡¯ll try to open a portal to your world, if you can take a glimpse and confirm that is your world, then that means you are indeed my familiar. But I need to be careful, if this works out too well, you may end up back to your own world again. And I¡¯m not sure if I can even resummon you back here.¡±

    Well, at this point, I begin to question myself what good would come from being her familiar. But I guess it¡¯s already too late for that. While this plan sounds risky, and I fear the consequences when it happens to be a success and she accidentally sends me back to Earth for good, but like I thought before, if this could help erase Deborah¡¯s fear, then why not?

    ¡°Let¡¯s hope you fail this time as well.¡±

    Never before have I ever wish for someone¡¯s failure more than this time.

    ¡°Hey, I may not look like it, but I don¡¯t like to fail, you know? One time is enough already.¡±

    Deborah pridefully replies.

    ¡°You can make another exception. It¡¯s always easy to fail, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Well, maybe for you.¡±

    Without giving me a chance to answer, Deborah takes several steps toward me, standing there while staring at me in the eyes. Of course, since she¡¯s taller than me, most of the time when we get face-to-face, I have to gaze up my sight to match hers. Kinda awkward standing near a girl taller than myself. Let¡¯s hope my growth spurt hasn¡¯t ended yet.

    ¡°Please close your eyes, and try to imagine how your world looks like. Think about your country, your home, your family. In order for this to work, you need to picture them as clearly as you can.¡±

    ¡°What are the signs when the spell works?¡±

    I need to know in order to successfully bail out from the spell when it comes dangerously close to the point of success.

    ¡°You may feel ¡°sucked¡±, or something like that. I¡¯m not a Familiar myself, so I obviously don¡¯t know. But I think when the time comes, you¡¯ll know.¡±

    ¡°Very helpful advice.¡±

    I reply.

    ¡°Just shut your mouth and get ready. Try to keep your focus. If I feel like the spell¡¯s going to work, I¡¯ll try to do my part and stop it as well.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s hope so. May you fail this time.¡±

    Deborah doesn¡¯t answer. The chit-chat period is over with her silence, and we get to the main event. Deborah brings her right arm toward me, touching the center of my forehead with her index finger. Following her earlier instructions, I close my eyes, and try to picture my home as clearly as I can despite my will being against it. Deborah¡¯s chanting can be heard, yet I can¡¯t waver my focus right now to decipher what she¡¯s saying. The air around us feel light and comfortable, it maybe a sign of soul energy gathering to become the resource for the spell.

    As Deborah finishes her chant, I begin to feel lighter. Yet, I can¡¯t drop my focus just because of a small feeling. Gotta focus gotta focus.

    I begin to travel within the depth of my consciousness, starting with an overview look of the Earth. My mind let itself wander to vast seas of this beautiful planet, then it fly back to my home country, going through mountains, rivers, and cities. Its adventure only halts when the image of a beautiful white mansion comes up, with a garden almost as vast as the eyes can see. Expensive sculptures, old antiques and popular paintings are numerous and used to decorate the mansion, which makes it look more like an art museum than the house for a few to live in.

    This was my home. With the way I can clearly see this place, maybe Deborah¡¯s spell is working right now?

    Suddenly, my mind is clouded by another image.

    The image of a man, a sharply-dressed, bearded old man holding a Cuban cigar in his left hand.

    At that very moment, I feel a large pain from inside my mind. It¡¯s like my very soul is being sucked away by an unknown force. Is the image of that man the very cause of this? I don¡¯t know, but I want him to get out of my head as fast as possible.

    ¡°Arghh!¡±

    I grunt. Before I know it, I toss Deborah¡¯s hand away from my head. My body is sweating heavily, like it just came out of a sauna or something. Despite that, Deborah doesn¡¯t make any extreme reaction, aside from a bright smile that has going on longer than I could even know.

    ¡°To think you¡¯re right for once¡­Your world is indeed beautiful, so a paradise truly exists.¡±

    If she says so, then does that means she saw the images that just went through my head?

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re wrong when making such comparison between both worlds. And¡­wait, are you okay?¡±

    The smile of joy when she found a new world turns into a worried face the moment she actually notices my heavy sweating and panting breath. While it¡¯s not that bad, this feeling however isn¡¯t exactly pleasant.

    ¡°I¡¯m alright, really¡­Anyway, are you finally happy now¡­? Does that confirm my existence as a Familiar of yours?¡±

    If it¡¯s not, then all of these efforts are friggin wasted.

    ¡°Yes. With this, it¡¯s already cleared now. You are indeed¡­my Familiar.¡±

    Despite the context of her answer, Deborah¡¯s reaction doesn¡¯t get brighten even just a bit, more like she becomes a bit more sadden by this revelation. Weird girl¡­

    ¡°Can I ask a question? Who is that beared man?¡±

    ¡°!!¡±

    Of all the thing she has to see, she just has to see him!

    ¡°I don¡¯t know! I don¡¯t know him! And don¡¯t you ever dare to mention him again!¡±

    I shout. I angrily shout like a brat throwing a tantrum. I feel like I just used all of my remaining breath and strength to empower that very shout. Or should I say it¡¯s more like a pent up hatred that has finally found its way to be let outside?

    Deborah looks surprised. She doesn¡¯t reply, nor gives out any other reaction, simply standing there like she¡¯s trying to find a suitable word to say or an appropriate action to take.

    ¡°What is going on here?¡±

    Before Deborah gets her chance however, outside intervention finally finds its way here. From a nearby bush, a girl clad in black walks outside, with clothes covering almost every inch of her body. Of all the people, Kardia just has to come to this place.

    ¡°Akuma? What¡¯s happening to you!?¡±

    Kardia notices my sweating and weakening body. It¡¯s such a bad timing when Deborah just happens to be standing nearby. From an outsider¡¯s look, this could turn out pretty badly, like Kardia¡¯s reaction with a quick glimpse of the scene.

    ¡°You¡­What did you do to him?¡±

    Kardia turns her head to the direction of Deborah. I don¡¯t know if my eyes are playing tricks on me, but the flower bushes around her are wilting away with every steps she takes. It¡¯s like almost eveything around her have their life force drained away, with the very ground itself turning to the deadly color of grey.

    ¡°You, who are you?¡±

    Despite the peculiar occurrence, Deborah doesn¡¯t look like she¡¯s gonna back down. Does she intend to face Kardia head on? Of all the timing, why would they want to fight at this moment? Damn it!

    I¡¯m tired of all of this!

    ¡°Stop it¡­both of you!¡±

    I shout, using what little left of my strength.

    ¡°This is just a misunderstanding, Kardia. Deborah, no need to get so worked up. Damn, I really need a rest right now.¡±

    ¡°You know this woman?¡±

    Great, now even my ears are playing tricks on me, because I swear both of them are saying that line at the same time.

    ¡°Anyway, I need to heal you back to normal first. Stay still a little.¡±

    Says Deborah.

    ¡°That won¡¯t do. Healing magic is just temporary first aid that could cause long term effects. He needs proper rest and medical treatment. I¡¯ll take him back to our class and get him treated there.¡±

    Both girls exchange glances yet again. As a man, isn¡¯t this the time I have to say something?

    ¡°Fine, that would probably better. Take him away as you like. You have my permission to do so.¡±

    Suprsingly, Deborah backs down first, while her eyes still look like they¡¯re thirsting for a fight.

    ¡°I appreciate your consideration for Akuma. Please excuse us.¡±

    Kardia comes near me and gives me her shoulder to rely on. This girl is surprisingly thin, judging from what little contact our bodies have. From behind, Deborah can only look to our back before leaving away from this place.

    While things did get a bit hectic, today is still a pretty memorable day. I get nursed back to normal after drinking several freshly made potion by my teacher. Later at night, Deborah comes back to the room after getting herself an hour long lecture from Miss Walpurga with something along the line of ¡°un-lady-like behaviour¡±. Aside from that, nothing ¡°bad¡± really happens afterward. Things will probably back to normal just like how it used to be.

    ...Let¡¯s hope it will. But I can¡¯t shake a feeling that something bad will soon to happen.

 Chapter 13: A prologue of the ancient past

    The cold wind once again comes, signaling the long awaited winter throughout of the lands of the Demon Realm.

    It¡¯s kind of a trivial thing, but when I finally got used to the life in this castle, I found out that Winter is the beginning of the new year in the Demon Realm¡¯s culture.

    According to the calendar, today is the 4th day of the Month of Earth, P.D 1013. In this world, there are only eight months a year, which are Month of Sun, Moon, Fire, Water, Metal, Wood, Earth and Dark respectively, with each season consists of only two months, thirty days per month. That would mean Winter has already came in the Month of Earth. However, the Demon Realm¡¯s new year only begins in the middle of Winter, that is the first day of Month of Dark. That would apply only to the demons, though. Their enemy ¨C the Heaven Realm ¨C marks their new year in the beginning of the Month of Sun, also the start of Spring, and instead of Month of Dark, they changed it into Light instead. Weird, isn¡¯t it. Though I¡¯m more surprised when both sides use the same calendar despite the little differences. Of course, it would be a lot more confusing should both sides use different calendars instead.

    From my calculation, it has been over twenty days ever since I chose to stay at this world, almost a month. Time sure flies. Yet for some reason, it doesn¡¯t seem that long to me. Maybe because of the ruckuses that happened once in while to keep me busy? Amadia¡¯s duel, joining the Alchemy Department, then the stuff with Deborah several days ago. I don¡¯t think there was a single period in my old life that things got so eventful like this.

    And like a predetermined destiny, it seems like today isn¡¯t an exception from that pattern.

    Only two more weeks until the first semester¡¯s final. The laid-back atmosphere of everyday¡¯s life inside the castle has changed into an intense training ground of both mind and body. Of course I can¡¯t just stand aside and laze around when I jumped midway into the course, unless I want to get a fail mark, which I don¡¯t.

    And so, as per request of mine, today we are going to hold a group study session in Deborah¡¯s room. The members are me, Deborah as our tutor, Caelan the jolly guy for comedic purposes and our class president Iola as Deborah¡¯s assistant. I wanted to invite some more, like Amadia or Kardia, but during the planning, Deborah shunned my proposal about those two down for unknown reasons. Amadia would probably be a noisy one to have in a study group, I guess that is true. Kardia, however, is totally a legit choice as a tutor, but for some reason Deborah didn¡¯t want her here. I guess it¡¯s also for the best, since Kardia would probably just stay dead silent in a room full of people she doesn¡¯t know, making things pretty awkward.

    Long story short, it¡¯s time to hit the books.

    After I¡¯m done with my own class, I meet Caelan at the cafeteria, who is waiting for me to meet up with him before we both go to the girl¡¯s dormitory. Iola has some unfinished business, but she¡¯ll join us as soon as she is done with the task. I guess by now Deborah would also had done with her class and is already heading toward our room.

    ¡°And so, I got beaten again today!¡±

    Says Caelan like a wimpy dog. The tall, blonde young demon youth keeps twirling his body around in frustration. It seems like today he had another duel with that Orc and lost, again.

    ¡°The guy¡¯s just too strong, man.¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you train more until you are able to beat him?¡±

    I answer with the most obvious reply I could think of.

    ¡°But fighting him is my training!¡±

    Then don¡¯t complain when you got yourself beaten!

    ¡°Geez¡­You suddenly remind me of that girl.¡±

    And by that girl I mean that fool Amadia. I wonder what she¡¯s been up to lately.

    ¡°Speaking of girls, we¡¯re already at the girl¡¯s dorm.¡±

    Caelan points out when we arrive at the heaven that all men with a working libido dreamt about. When we get to the dorm, some girls are in the middle of heading out from the interior. They walk past us, but not without giving a glance at the two strange males standing before their living residence. Of course, a natural reaction. That being said, they let out a small sigh of relief when they see me, though.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t good. This is definetely not good.¡±

    ¡°What isn¡¯t good, Akuma?¡±

    Asks a confused Caelan.

    ¡°Me living in this dorm. That¡¯s the problem.¡±

    I continue our conversation as we walk toward my room, with Caelan follows suit all while contributing to our chatter.

    ¡°Dude, you can legally live in the girls¡¯ dorm. What part of it is the problem when people would kill just to be in your shoes?¡±

    ¡°Well, that certainly would be the case. A man living in the girl¡¯s dormitory sounds nice on paper. But these girls¡­they have already developed resistance around me! No longer have they fear for every small glimpse of my presence around them. Instead of ¡°What? A man in the girl¡¯s dorm?¡±, they have went straight to the ¡°Oh, just a man in the girl¡¯s dorm¡± stage. And that¡¯s the problem, it hurts my pride as man!¡±

    Their reaction makes it look like I¡¯m some kind of a gay friend who was allowed to live here rather than a normal guy with a healthy love for women. That can¡¯t be good.

    ¡°Dude, you¡¯re overthinking it. Just relax, man. Nobody would call you a Man-lover just because they feel no threats coming from you.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, seems like you¡¯re still just a boy who hasn¡¯t grow up yet, Caelan. The pride of a man must be uphold no matter what! I need to find of a way to defend my dignity, else I wouldn¡¯t dare to show my face around this place anymore!¡±

    ¡°O¡­okay...¡±

    I fix my glasses in a cool pose just to show Caelan my determination. The guy can only watch with confusion clearly showing on his face. Well, he will know about a man¡¯s pride soon enough when he grows up in time.

    When our conversation ends, we find ourselves standing in front of Deborah room. There¡¯s no point waiting in the middle of the hallway when I¡¯m in front of my home, so of course, I turn the doorknob and open the door.

    What lies beyond the door, however, is something unexpected. It¡¯s like the gods themselves have suddenly heard my prayers and decided to give me some good things in my life for once.

    In front my eyes, there lies Deborah standing inside the room, she¡¯s in the middle of changing her clothes, with her head and gaze pointed toward the closed window and her back to the door leading outside. She hasn¡¯t notice my presence yet, but that changes within the next few seconds. Of course, only the deaf would not be able to hear the sound of an opened door.

    Let¡¯s put the part where she screams like an enraged lion aside, I¡¯m still trying to savour what little my glimpse managed to catch. With her tall figure, of course her bare, long legs would become a feast for the eyes. While her long, crimson red hair has already covered the places that matter, I¡¯m still able to catch a glimpse at her pure white undergarments, perfectly matched on her silky white skin. If only I could get some look at her front aside¡­

    ¡°Gyaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!!!¡±

    But I know my limit. My mind begins to take back the helm from the control of my libido. It loudly sounds the retreat inside my head. And thus, the clich¨¦ screaming and shouting come, with the stuff-throwing part thrown in as a bonus. However, thanks to me closing the door at the right moment, I haven¡¯t get myself any damage, for now.

    ¡°You pervert! Idiotic pervert!!¡±

    Deborah shouts like an enraged beast, despite her cute flushing face earlier doesn¡¯t give people the impression of someone capable of shouting like that. It still has some cute qualities inside of that roar, though. But this isn¡¯t the time to to think like that. Calm down, calm down myself, and think.

    Well, in other words, things just get pretty awkward. Caelan is still standing there, trying to piece things together.

    ¡°Growing up sure is tough...¡±

    I guess he got that right for once...

    And thus, I wait by the door in the following moments, looking like a fool until the arrival of my advocator ¨C Iola. Still looking good in her uniform, the twin-braided girl opens the door as I step aside, preparing to face Deborah¡¯s wrath.

    But instead of an angry demon, Deborah is just sitting on my bed to sulk by herself instead of being downright angry at me. She still looks pissed, though. The stuff she threw in anger are still lying on the floor, most of those belong to me anyway. When Iola tries to calm down the girl in question, I begin to do my part and clean things up. After I¡¯m done, Caelan helps taking out a wooden coffee table from the closet to be our study desk. But before we get to the point, Iola tells us to sit around the table as the peace negotiation begins, with me sitting in the opposite of Deborah.

    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you haven¡¯t punch me at first sight.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll die.¡±

    Deborah bluntly answers. Is that just a figure of speech, or does she really mean it literally?

    ¡°Come on, you two.¡±

    Iola sternly speaks like a good advocator would.

    ¡°Akuma, do you know what you just did is a very bad thing?¡±

    That girl sounds serious, unlike her daily shy girl attitude. Her face looks like that of a class president right now. No more Miss Shy girl.

    ¡°Sort of. I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s just an accident. I should have knocked.¡±

    No points trying to play smart. At much as a pleasure for my eyes it has been, barging into the room with a girl in the middle of changing is still wrong. However¡­

    ¡°Deborah, why didn¡¯t you lock the door?¡±

    I ask.

    ¡°I forgot¡­¡±

    Silently says Deborah. She¡¯s averting her eyes from making eye contact with anyone.

    ¡°Then you¡¯re partially responsible, don¡¯t you think?¡±

    I reply.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Deborah keeps her silence in an attempt to protect her pride. However, what she says next shocks me to no end.

    ¡°You¡¯re right. It was partly my fault as well.¡±

    Is a storm gonna come today? It¡¯s like someone just put a voodoo curse on Deborah to make her tamer than normal.

    ¡°Now this is strange, you¡¯re rarely this tame.¡±

    Iola seems to have the same train of thought as mine as she speaks the same thing I¡¯m about to say.

    ¡°My mind is kind of a mess lately. Just give me some slack.¡±

    Deborah answers. Is something bothering her lately? I hope that something isn¡¯t me.

    Iola smiles. She suddenly gazes at me when she¡¯s done with Deborah.

    ¡°You know what to do, right?¡±

    I nod. There¡¯s only one thing left to do.

    ¡°Deborah, I¡¯m sorry!¡±

    I bow with my head lowered.

    ¡°Apology accepted.¡±

    Deborah answers. This has become really weird, it¡¯s like Deborah isn¡¯t herself anymore. For her to be this forgiving, I begin to get worried¡­

    ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean I have forgiven you yet! I¡¯m expecting some kind of punishment. The crueler the better. Don¡¯t think for a second you can walk away from this unscratched!¡±

    Nope, she¡¯s still herself at the core alright! In desperation, I turn my gaze to Iola, seeking for help. But then I remember Iola is also a member of the opposite sex, more so when she¡¯s Deborah¡¯s friend, which of course, she would naturally take Deborah¡¯s side rather than mine.

    ¡°She¡¯s right, you know? Peeking isn¡¯t a crime that could be easily forgiven. Normally we would get you publicly executed for that! All it takes is one word reaching the ears of the Headmaster...¡±

    ¡°Hey hey, please say you¡¯re joking, please?¡±

    I plead for my life, hoping they are just joking to mess with me.

    ¡°But since he¡¯s sincerely asking for forgiveness, let¡¯s take it down a notch for a bit, shall we? I still want him to get executed, though.¡±

    If you¡¯re playing the judge, then please be a fair one!

    ¡°It was nice knowing you, Akuma.¡±

    Caelan pats my back after getting tired of being a mere spectator. Stop making it looks like I¡¯m gonna die!

    As she¡¯s trying to think for a fitting punishment, something suddenly catches Iola¡¯s interest. She stands up and grabs an object lying on my desk. It is a halfly done hand-puppet made from fabric - a purple rabbit - the gift I intend to give Amadia as I promised.

    ¡°It¡¯s adorable. You made this, Akuma?¡±

    ¡°Well, yes.¡±

    I¡¯m amazed. She deduced that there¡¯s no way Deborah could make such aesthetic creations like what I made. Iola smiles, as if she has finally found the solution to end this problem.

    ¡°I¡¯ve decided. If we can¡¯t kill him physically then let¡¯s kill him socially. Akuma, you need to make a doll like this for every person in this room.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    I shout out loud.

    ¡°That¡¯s not a cruel punishment!¡±

    Says Deborah. She seems surprised for how things just turn out.

    How would making cute hand puppets would kill me socially, though? It takes real courage for a man to embrace the art of handicraft, you know?

    ¡°I¡¯m just happen to have a wide array of connection around school, you know? Before long, instead of someone who defeated the notorious Amadia, people will remember you as a cute puppet maker thanks to this network of mine. Prepare to say goodbye to your manly pride, Akuma.¡±

    ¡°Hey, that sounds nice. I want a warg! A big bad warg!

    Caelan raises his hand in excitement. Hey, my manly pride is at stake here, stop getting so excited!

    ¡°I would prefer an owl.¡±

    Likewise, Iola also voices her wish out.

    ¡°You guys, seriously¡­¡±

    I mumble. Unsurprisingly, Deborah doesn¡¯t seem that sastified with how things turn out.

    ¡°Making puppets, seriously? That¡¯s not a very cruel punishment in my dictionary.¡±

    ¡°Well, better than get myself executed. If you don¡¯t want one that much, I¡¯ll just make you a bulky and ugly dog instead.¡±

    ¡°Hey, if you intend do make one then just make it cute like the rest! Don¡¯t make any exception!¡±

    ¡°Thought you didn¡¯t want one?¡±

    I grin, despite knowing my manly dignity is gonna get shattered in near future. Well, I¡¯ll find another way to regain that eventually. Let those girls get their victory laugh for now, because revenge is always best served cold.

    ¡°Well, court is dismissed. It¡¯s time to study, people.¡±

    ¡°Since Caelan probably caught a glimpse too, shall we make him do some labor to make up for that?¡±

    Deborah gives out her suggestion. Iola then nods in agreement.

    ¡°Caelan, go fetch us some drinks, the ones for study.¡±

    ¡°Aye aye, madam!¡±

    Caelan salutes the two ladies. And thus, he stands up and waltzs out of the room, happily fulfilling his quest. Though I would be more happy if his punishment was more severe, just like mine.

    In this short free time, for some reasons, Iola doesn¡¯t seem to want to sit still. She stands up and begins to take a look around the room, mostly our desks. She¡¯s also strange today as well, I can¡¯t see the normal shyness she always has with her.

    ¡°You seem happy.¡±

    My curiousity takes over, and I ask my question.

    ¡°It¡¯s not everyday I get to visit Deborah¡¯s room, you know?¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    I give Deborah a glance. However, she doesn¡¯t seems to be in the mood for a staring contest, and thus avoiding my eyes.

    ¡°You don¡¯t seem to have any cosmetics, Deborah?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have the need to use those to begin with.¡±

    Deborah answers Iola¡¯s question. The girl with twinbraids seems surprised.

    ¡°That won¡¯t do! How else would you maintain your beauty? A girl¡¯s beauty is also weapon, you know? You have to take care good care of it before every fight. Don¡¯t let yourself go to war unprepared!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying like I need to use my beauty that much.¡±

    Is it just me or does this conversation just turned into a girls¡¯s talk?

    As I still sit here holding the purple bunny glove, Iola stops her little venture around the room and walks behind Deborah. Then, using her lean fingers, Iola begins to pinch Deborah¡¯s face.

    ¡°It¡¯s a grave sin to have skin this silky! It would be a waste if you don¡¯t maintain it!¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­stop it.¡±

    Deborah seems embarassed. However, Iola doesn¡¯t stop until five seconds later. She just switches to examining Deborah¡¯s hair instead. And I¡¯m still here, trying to continue the sewing work with a needle and some threads.

    ¡°You took good care of your hair. Though it¡¯s a little sad since you always keep the same hair style.¡±

    ¡°S-Shut up! This style is comfortable enough.¡±

    Deborah answers, still flustered from Iola¡¯s barrage of comments. A rare sight indeed. Well, it¡¯s not like everyday I get to witness a private talk between two girls.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡°Your mother didn¡¯t teach how to do different hairstyles?

    Iola asks.

    ¡°...I forgot¡­¡±

    Deborah doesn¡¯t seem happy with her own answer.

    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t that sad? Then, let me teach you again. Though you have to let me mess with your hair first.¡±

    ¡°Fine¡­do what you want.¡±

    Deborah gives up. Iola sit behind the giant girl that is Deborah. The shorter girl then skillfully makes some braids out of Deborah¡¯s long hair like a professional hairdresser. Deborah could only sit tight to let the girl behind her do the work, but she doesn¡¯t seems to dislike it that much. Well, it always feels good having someone tending your hair.

    In this room right now, with the sight of me making a hand puppet, and Deborah and Iola doing girly things, it¡¯s surprisingly comfy. The cold of Winter can¡¯t even freeze the wramth radiated from this room. Is this what people call the feeling of a family?

    However, all good things must come to an end when Caelan barges into the room with four cup of energy drinks on his hands. But by that time, with her skillfull hands, Iola has already done braiding Deborah¡¯s long hair into one big braid. Can¡¯t believe how changing a hairstyle would make a girl looks so different.

    ¡°What?¡±

    Deborah sarcastic asks when she has enough of my stare, all while being embarrased. I just put a smile on my face without answering while putting away my unfinished glove. Caelan and Iola also return to their respective seats and begin to prepare the books.

    ¡°Let not waste anymore time. Well then, how about we begin with everyone¡¯s favorite subject: History?¡±

    ¡°Fine by me.¡±

    I answer.

    ¡°Me me! I want to learn history! The bad marks I got from midterm still haunt me to this day¡­¡±

    Caelan enthusiastically speaks.

    ¡°Well, we need to get you tested first, to see if you have improved from last time. Caelan, what is the name of the capital of the Demon Realm?¡±

    After Iola begins her quiz time, the guy in question shuts his mouth and starts a pose that resembling the famous thinking man statue. It takes thirty seconds just for the guy to be able to answer the previous question.

    ¡°Irkalia!¡±

    ¡°Wow, he got it right for once.¡±

    Deborah comments. Is it really that impressive in their point of view? But then again, even I don¡¯t know the name of their capital.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you know the name of our capital too, right?¡±

    That question comes from Deborah, accompanied with a smirk on her face. It¡¯s like she really possesses the ability to read thoughts, but only uses it to mess around with me and only me.

    ¡°Well, sure, yeah!. Only a baby would forget such thing! I totally know about it! Really!¡±

    Let¡¯s hope this doesn¡¯t make me look like I¡¯m trying to dig myself deeper.

    ¡°With the correct answer, let¡¯s hope it would be possible to improve Caelan¡¯s grades this time, and help Akuma on his test as well.¡±

    Seems like Iola has already taken the helm of this study group. As shy as she is, she isn¡¯t the class president for nothing.

    ¡°Let¡¯s begin with some basic lectures. How about we start with the creation of the world?¡±

    ¡°Sounds good.¡±

    I answer. I didn¡¯t know much about this world¡¯s history to begin with, thanks to getting myself so busy lately. This should be a good chance to learn more.

    ¡°Let¡¯s read them out loud. It¡¯ll help you guys remember. We will take turn, starting with Caelan, then Akuma, me and Deborah.¡±

    No one seems to object her decision. Well, we¡¯re just a study group, shouldn¡¯t make it too tense that we can¡¯t have any fun for ourselves.

    ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll begin!¡±

    Caelan shouts and takes a deep breath as he preparing his own session.

    ----------------

    From the beginning, before there was light and life, darkness shrouded the worlds. The universe was but an empty void, yet planets had already took their first steps in the path of creation. Earthly lands formed themselves within the dark abyss. Worlds and worlds rose from the empty void. But none of them ever became something more than a huge masses of earth and sand. The worlds themselves could not sustain life on their own. When they reached the end of their lifespan, through millenias upon millenias, the worlds crumbled, destroyed, and returned to the void that was the abyss of darkness.

    And then, from the depth of the endless void, He came.

    There was no mention of His nature, His greatness, His beauty and His merits in the oldest of the oldest records. Yet, He required a name, a name that would let His children praise it out loud to express their gratitude as living beings created by Him.

    The name for the Creator was eventually called [Anul] by his creations. But that, is the story of the future.

    When Anul graced the universe with his presence, He picked a blank space out of this vast void, and decided to give His mark upon this universe with a world that would eventually be called Airumel.

    His right feet stomped on the void, and earth was created. For every stomp he took, mountains upon mountains rose from the ground, and filled the ground with vast, almost endless plains of earth.

    He swung His left hand, and began weaving the skies. For every swing He waved, clouds and winds flew across the world. With each strong swing, powerful storms carried along numerous rains were created. With each light swing, air filled with the fragrance of life took their place among the lands and skies.

    Yet, for Anul, those alone were not enough.

    Anul held out His right hand, and streams and streams of water flowed out like great waterfall. For every swing He waved, a new ocean was made. With this, Anul had made the land, the sky and the sea.

    But this world was still a world devoid of life, like numerous others that had already failed their purpose of being a planet. A half empty world.

    And thus, lastly, using His right feet, He stomped on his lands yet again.

    With His first stomp came the firsts of the Primordial Dragons, created to be the guardians of these lands as His emissaries.

    With His second stomp created the numerous Ancient Devils, to fulfill the sole purpose of populating the vast lands that is this world.

    With His third stomp, from His dropping blood came the abominations that were the Primordial Vampires.

    With His fourth stomp, the rocks that stucked in His feet dropped to the ground, giving life to the savage and crude Orcs.

    And then, Anul continued His desire of populating the world. The more stomps he took, the more hideous the creatures became. All the record called the stomps after the Fourth the creation of the various Monsters inhabiting this world.

    With this, life filled the void between the land and the sky. But something was still missing.

    That was Light. The radiant Light to shine the path for all the creatures that live.

    But for all of His omnipotence, Anul could not create the very opposite element he was the embodiment of, for He was the pure God of Darkness. All creations started from the Dark, but the Dark could not create Light. This world has water, air, fertile lands and diversity of living beings, yet, it could not be completed without Light. Still, Anul felt contented, and He let life started on this very world he created.

    Little did He know how imperfect his world was.

    The oceans were vast, but no living beings were capable of inhabit the depths without inviting certain deaths. The lands were numerous, yet no blades of grass were able to grow. The air were without warmth, and before long, they filled the world with eternal winters. This dark world, while capable of sustaining life, but it was by no mean a hospitable home. Eventually, this world turned itself deep into chaos, with the strong trampled upon the weak for everyday¡¯s survival.

    With their overwhelming power, the Ancient Devils rose above all to become the rulers of all things that inhabited this harsh world. Despite being vastly more powerful and nigh-immortal, the Primordial Dragons all followed the will of Anul ¨C who was contented with how the world was - and thus didn¡¯t directly take an active role on fixing this messed up world, and let their cruel inferiors inherited the role of rulers of this world.

    The Ancient Devils were anything but unifed. Each individuals had their own peculiar form of flesh, with different powers and personalities. Once they asserted their dominance upon their inferiors, the Ancient Devils turned on themselves and slaughtered their own kind in a fit of lust for food and power. The chaotic world once again fell to the chaos. Yet, Anul still stood firm with his role as a mere observer. The world¡¯s inhabitants¡¯ laments could not reach his ears, and they cursed him for his ignorance of his own world.

    And then, came the other God.

    From the farthest of the West, a radiant Light shined upon the world. For the first time of their lives, the creatures of Airumel felt what was known as warmth, and how cruel it could be. The lowest of vermins died within few seconds of exposure to this light. For creatures of the Dark, Light could be their salvation and also their ultimatum. The weaklings who could not sustain themselves fell prey to the vast Light that began to fill the world. Only the strongest of creatures remained to feel what they called salvation, and the sight of their eternal enemy when He took his steps on Airumel.

    Our enemies called that being [Lielos], the Light God.

    His origin was unknown, but no surviving Ancient Devils ever forgot the unknown voice of an unknown language that shook the foundation of this very world.

    ¡°And this world shalt hath Light!¡±

    And Light, it had. From the depth of the void, the majestic Sun was created by the purity from Lielos¡¯s voice, and it still exists to this day, until the end of time and all. From the Light of the Sun, the night was given a Moon, with the calm blue light reflected from the majestic Sun Lielos himself created.

    Yet, Lielos was not sastified, for he intented to make this world his domain. Like how Anul began the life on this world, Lielos took his own part on giving more life to the lands that were not his.

    Lielos swung his right hand, and flocks upon flocks of flying birds were created. For every swung he waved, a new type of flying creatures were created.

    And he stomped his left leg to the deep oceans, and filled the sea with fishes. For every stomped he took, a new breed of water creatures were made.

    His left hand grabbed the sky, and with it he tore apart the clouds to let his sunlight fill this world, thus creating the three other seasons that was Spring, Summer and Fall.

    His right feet stepped on the earth, and came plants upon plants that would cover this world in forests. Along with the trees were animals of the forests, with grace and beauty unmatched by any of Anul¡¯s monsters.

    And his last act, which was also the act that would eventually earn him the ire and hatred of all creations that belong to Anul, that was to create the races of Heaven Realm.

    Lielos held his breath and blew it out to the sky. From within his mouth came numerous Angels descended to the lands. These angels carried out Lielos¡¯s will to embark his mark on this world by the act of creating new races. All of them flew across the lands, picking the materials needed for the process of making new living beings.

    From the best and most beautiful trees that populated various forest created the delicate and beautiful Elves.

    From the sturdiest of rocks that made up the mountains came the rude yet passionate Dwarves.

    From the playful winds that flew across all the sky appeared the first dances of the mysterious Wisps.

    And finally, from the alluvial soils that possessed endless possibilities, the angels made the first men and women of the clever Humans.

    With this, Lielos ended his part on interfering with this world. Thus, all these newly created creatures took on their lives in this world.

    Strangely, for a race that only knew of terror and killing, the Ancient Devils easily accepted the new inhabitants. This could be because of the revelation that came with the Light. For once, they were aware of the eyes they had but never ever used. For once, they knew of their hideous forms that they took pride on. For once, they felt the life of the sea that could only come from the fishes swimming beneath. For once, they wanted to hold out their arms to the sky to feel the warmth of the wind and sunlight. It was like their nature of evil disappeared for just a second with the appearance of Lielos¡¯s light. And thus, they accepted the new races as a part of Airumel.

    It was a mistake they would eventually regret.

    Humans were the last of Lielos¡¯s creations, and were also the physically weakest. Yet, they were the first pioneers onto the start of what would eventually become the beginning of civilization. Their cleverness was the humans¡¯ greatest weapon. Using this very weapon, they created Fire through friction to warm themselves through the cold days of Winter, to shine their way in moonless nights, to cook food that were tasty to the tongue, to boil waters for fresh healthy drinks¡­From their Fire, Humans created tools, and they made use of their fertile motherlands and turned them into fields to grow crops.

    The humans¡¯s first harvest became an awakening bell to all of Lielos¡¯s living creations: We can¡¯t live like this forever!

    The Elves began to use the woods of the forest to make houses that stand on top of trees, away from the wild and feral beasts of the forest. From silks and animal hides, they created clothes to fight the harshness of the world. They also became the forefather of Music with their creation of musical instruments, and thus were the first ones to started the abstract concept of Art.

    Likewise, the Dwarves ventured to the deep of various mountains. Using the ores they found, the Dwarves created armors and weapons to fought the wild monsters that populated the world. They taught themselves the art of building, and became the best architects among the races, building numerous cities from marbles mined in the mountains with their skillfull hands.

    All three races began to exchange their cultures within themselves, to help them develop for a better life. This became fundamental for the creation of what would eventually known as the Heaven Realm.

    Yet, in the other continents, fights for power were still daily chores for the Ancient Devils. Their conceited ego told them with the power bestowed by Anul, they had no need for neither intellect, culture nor tools. They feared not the progress of creatures of the Light, and arrogantly declared that should the three races ever rebel, the Ancient Devils shall teach them a lesson. By that very declaration, all other creations of Anul gave up their hope for the Ancient Devils, and began their own designs for the future.

    Four Orcs brothers ventured out of their own home, and eventually returned with skills they learned across the world. The savage Orcs undergone great changes from the brothers¡¯s teaching, started with the language of fists, and ended with the language of words. With the weapon making skills learned from the Dwarves, the Orc created the first forms of martial arts, perfecting their raw fighting ability with the intellect they obtained. They were also the firsts to created some sort of standard hierachy, with the strongest gained the right to rule over those who were weaker.

    The Primordial Vampires also had their own plans. From their thirst and hunger, the formless abominations created from Anul¡¯s blood attacked small human tribes, and feasted upon their flesh and blood. The taste of the human flesh was something this race would not ever forget. Eventually, from eating numerous humans, those abominations evolved from their formless body to something that resembled the very thing they feast upon ¨C the humans, and gained some spark of intelligent obtained from those preys. For every humans they ate, the Vampires¡¯s abilities became stronger and stronger, to the point even if their bodies were cut into piecies, they would still be able to attach themselves back to normal.

    And thus, all the race began their journey for progresses, except for the arrogant Ancient Devils and the ignorant Dragons, who resided in their domain at the far North corner of the world.

    More time passed, centuries came and centuries gone, until the humans and other races¡¯s culture reached their apex, along with a huge and booming population. They realized they can¡¯t stay at one place forever. With the thirst to explore and conquer, they gone out of their home to find new lands across the world. Yet, nine out of ten place they came were ruled by powerful Ancient Devils. And on those lands, the Ancient Devils made them as their backyard, their arena, used just to indulge in lust and violence. The thirst of exploration eventually turned into the thirst to conquer. For the years that they had lived in peace, the humans gained the ambition to annihilate other races to get their lands for themselves. But to wage a war was easier said than done.

    So, the humans created Religion.

    Using Lielos¡¯s name as their one and only God, the humans united their own kind across the lands under the banner of Lielos, spreading the thought that Lielos was the only Light of the world, the rightous path, the justice, and creations of Anul were the epitome of evil, of wickedness, of monstrosity that needed to be eliminated. This dogma was a terrifying weapon, flocks of humans gathered under the Light spread by men who called themselves the emissaries of Lielos. With swords and spears in hand, along with the helps of Elven archers and Dwarven warriors, the humans created an alliance of three races called the ¡¸Heaven Realm¡¹ and attacked the domains belong to the Ancient Devils.

    This event marked the start of a history full of never-ending bloodshed, and was chosen to be the start of the written history calendar. Dates, months and years were created, and the humans picked this day to be the beginning of their glorious age. The 1st of Month of Sun, I.G.0001. The day that started the war that would be called by modern historians as the ¡¸Founding War¡¹.

    All of the Ancient Devils¡¯s territories were attacked by legions upon legions of the Heaven Realm¡¯s armies. For all those years under the Devils¡¯s oppression, the Orcs also took their chance and rebelled. With their superior martial skills, the Orcs contributed a large part into the alliance¡¯s war efforts. During the start of the war, the Ancient Devils were capable of holding their own despite not being under a united front. And even in some part of the fights, they even triumphed over their enemies. This would only helped boost their ego, and turned them into the path of eventual defeat.

    When the war dragged out longer, the Ancient Devils realized that their powers were waning away. Little did they know that it was the very Light of Lielos that weakened them. Despite being the same breed of creatures of the Dark, the Orcs and Vampires have already devoloped resistance due to constant fights to evolve, to survive, and to get stronger. While the Devils did fight a whole lot, they fought just for themselves, and didn¡¯t yearn to become better than they already were like their inferiors. When the Devils found out the truth, it¡¯s already too late for them to change their way of living.

    One by one, land by land, the human alliance took back the momentum and pushed the Devils to a corner, at the farthest of the continent in the East. Only when they lost everything did the Devils find the resolution to change themselves.

    Using their remaining power, they sealed their dark demonic energies into crystals, and created for themselves bodies similar to human¡¯s flesh in order to adapt to Lielos¡¯s sunlight. At this point did the Ancient Devils truly perish, only the Devilmen remained and eventually became the modern Devils. Learning from those who were more developed than them, steps by steps, the Devils gained the ability to create tools, weapons, houses. They learned how to make crops, to tend animals, to build walls and fortresses¡­Their culture became similar to the very humans that earned their hatred, but they also tried to keep what remained of their Devil origin. But it was not far stretched to say they have already became imperfect copies of the humans.

    The time needed for this development was a blessing for the Devils, but it came from the cost paid by a tragedy of the Orcs.

    Despite being allies for years, the Orcs were still children of Anul at their roots. The very dogma used to gain the backbone of the humans¡¯s army became a tool for the zealots to eliminate a strong ally. Their war efforts couldn¡¯t defend the Orcs from their nature, as a race that is brutish, savage, with exotic green skin and tusks that were an eyesore to the standard of beauty among the humans and elves. Eventually, a civil war broke out, between the humans, elves and dwarves against their former Orc ally. Overwhelmed, the Orcs were forced to run back to their brothers and sisters of the same father. Realized that they would eventually become the alliance¡¯s next target, the Vampires also united together with the Orcs and Devils to formed an alliance called the Demon Realm.

    Yet, this newfound alliance was still consists of a defeated race and a betrayed race. While the Vampires were not numerous, they were still physically stronger than the other two at this point. But even that didn¡¯t raise the percentage to win their war higher than one, for the Heaven Realm alliance was strong and experienced. Foreseeing a future that would end with his children¡¯s extinction, the Dark God Anul was tempted to mobilize his sleeping Dragons to help end the war. That is, until the Devils themselves created their own miracle.

    That was the creation of ¡¸Magic¡¹.

    When they still had their old form, the Devils were capaple of calling storms, moving mountains, controlling the nature with just the palm of their hand. When they took a new form, those very powers were sealed or weakened, and thus, they were powerless. But it seemed like the human form wasn¡¯t the only thing the Devils imitated from the humans. Their ambition and thirst for power once again fueled their desire to regain their powers of old.

    After a time of researching, the Devils found the concept of ¡¸Soul Energy¡¹, that was the spiritual energy that resided within the body and soul of every living being, and even in the air and the earth around the world. Each of the Gods¡¯s influences on this world were embarked with their own type of soul energy. Within the darkness and the ground came the soul energy of Dark God Anul, and within the sunlight came the soul energy of Light God Lielos. The very first theory of magic was to use the Devils¡¯s own soul energy to borrow the power of the God to recreate their own former powers. But theory was just theory, no one knew how to perform such thing during their first step.

    That is, until Anul himself helped his children in his own way, through a common Devilman who helped created the first Magic theory. A man with the name [Primus].

    In the middle of a moonless night, Primus had a strange dream. He saw Anul himself in his dream, talking with him using a strange language, a language that he knew not even a word. Yet, that language found its way and embarked itself onto the young Devilman¡¯s mind.

    The next morning, Primus wrote out everything he heard in his dream, and made out an alphabet of twenty six words. Within his next experiment, using this very language as a catalyst, Primus was able to finally created a spell, a magic, a miracle. He became the first person to ever used Magic.

    Primus named the language the God¡¯s Tounge. But in order to differentiate themselves from Light God Lielos, a few generations later, the Devils renamed the language into ¡¸Ancient Tounge¡¹. With this, Primus spread this newfound ability to all the beings of the Demon Realm. Unlike the Ancient Devils¡¯s old power, Magic could be used by any living being, be it Orc or Vampire. The teaching process was long, but the results was beyond their imagination.

    In another moonless night, a strange symbol appeared on the right hand of the young Primus.

    When the other Devils saw the strange symbol, they think it was a mark of someone chosen to bear the will of Anul. A chosen one. The Devils called that symbol the ¡¸Dark Seal¡¹, and wanted Primus to become their King. With the acceptance of two other races, Primus finally became the first [Demon King] of the Demon Realm.

    With the use of Magic, the demon alliance had finally be able to go toe to toe with their enemy. For every battles he took part in, Primus destroyed all of his enemies using his overwhelming power as the creator of Magic. Slowly, the Demon Realm alliance regained their own former lands and territories, and pushed their enemies back to their own home.

    Yet, the Devils had not learned from their old lessons. Drunk with power and victories, they desired their old way of living, the path of violence and hedonism. This started the seperation of several legions of Devils to create their own nations, despite Primus and his followers¡¯s plea for a unified Demon Realm in order to combat against foreign threats.

    Like a joke of fate, the children of Lielos also had a small window to turn the table thanks to this event, just like how they gave the Devils the chance to fight back when they betrayed the Orcs. Everlasting wars were not something the common man desired. Their grieves and laments pierced through the sky and reached Lielos¡¯s ears. While he also held the same non-intervention policy just like his antithesis Anul, Lielos however wasn¡¯t heartless. He granted a miracle upon the people that praise his name by the form of two newborn childs. A twin, born with a light symbol embarked on their body. The religious fanatics called them the miracle of Lielos, and with the appearance of the Light Seal marked the turn to another page of history.

    The twins consisted of a boy and a girl. They grew up as time passed. The boy was named Enas, and the sister was named Dyo. When they reached the mature age, each of the child gained a different ability. Dyo was capable of using Magic just like the inhabitants of the Demon Realm, and she was also able to performed Magics that no powerful mages of the Demon Realm were capable of using. Her descendants would eventually became the progenitors for a race called the [Wizards]. While the girl was gifted with Magic, the boy Enas was able to imbued the strange Soul Energy onto his weapons and performed god-sent fighting techniques. People that were Enas¡¯s pupils became the most renowned knights of the all lands, and their descendants still carry on their legacies even to this day, fouding kingdoms and empires. Eventually, the twin were called [Heroes] by the people of the Heaven Realm.

    Knowing full well of his people¡¯s past and expierience, Primus deduced that the day the two Heroes take part in the war would be the day his beloved Demon Realm falls. With no time to deal with his people¡¯s internal wars and conflicts, he gathered his most trusted warriors and mages, and together with the volunteers who shared his dream, they alone formed a lone army to counter the threat the two Heroes posed.

    Just like his prediction, when the time came, Enas and Dyo gathered the Heaven Realm¡¯s army under their lead. Primus¡¯s army eventually faced the foreign legions in the land that would eventually separate the two continent. The fighting was fierce, and lasted a total seven days and six nights. Primus¡¯s warriors fought bravely, and they hold the line to the very last man, but their enemies were numerous, and they were eventually defeated. Primus alone faced the two brother and sister, but he also wasn¡¯t able to defeat the two.

    The Demon King knew that even if he defeated the two Heroes, the march of the Heaven Realm¡¯s army would not stop. As the last resort, using his own life force, fused with the soul energy remained in corpses of his fallen loyal allies and enemies, Primus performed what would be known as the first strongest destructive spell that was ever made at that time, named ¡¸Apokalypsis¡¹ by the historians.

    In the middle of the sky, a black giant meteor fell to the ground and rend apart the two continents, sinking the heavenly army and the two Heroes deep beneath the earth. This spell marked the temporary end of the war, and created a new sunken land, making a new ocean along with it. Due to the effect of the spell, the water in this sea did not drown anything below its surface and created a floating land mass made of sea water, earning it the name of the [Floating Sea]. However, in the Demon Realm, this very ocean was named the Primus Ocean instead, after the man who sacrificed everything he had to protect the land he loved.

    The Founding War ended under a ceasefire truce in the 13th of Month of Fire, I.G 0514. But that didn¡¯t mark the end of all wars across Airumel.

    The leaders of the Heaven Realm parted their way with their allies in the following years. The time during the war wasn¡¯t enough to created a unified race among the Humans. The Elves and Dwarves returned to their land to rebuild their own forces, while the human leaders traveled across their gained territories to found and build new kingdoms under their own rule. Thus fulfilling the Founding part of the Founding War.

    In the next 1000 years, at an unknown time, the Dark God Anul lost hope from what his world had became, and departed from the world. The Dragons were free from his influence at last. Yet, his presence within the soul energy in this world didn¡¯t change even just a bit.

    Despite their newfound freedom, the Dragons however also lost their hope in this world. Using their terrifying power, the Dragons created a portal to another dimension called Celestia and moved to settle in that place. Only a few remained in their own continent far to the North to fulfill their duty as overseers of the world, as how they have always been ever since their creation by Anul.

 Chapter 14: A tale of the aged antiquity

    When his part ended, Caelan instantly grabs the energy drink cup near him and chugs it down in one sitting. The guy breathes heavily. His face looks pale, though it gradually becomes normal again after he regains his breath. Not something to be surprised though, the guy just read out loud a long history lesson without taking any break.

    "It''s¡­so long! And hard!"

    That''s what he said.

    "I see you have yet to lose your ability to read, Caelan."

    Says Deborah, accompanied by a smirk.

    "Good job."

    I comment in response. The guy really needs a break right now.

    "I have a feeling that you intentionally made him read the longest part first, Iola."

    I say my thought out loud. The girl in question opens her eyes a little wider in surprise. That little reaction of her obviously tell me that was her plan all along.

    "What? Really? Hey, is that the truth?"

    Equally surprised, Caelan waves his head around as he glances at the others in search for an answer.

    "Great, you just have to spill it out."

    Deborah gives me a pissed look. Since when did they plan this out? Do girls in this world have hidden telepathy or what?

    "Just¡­think of it as a punishment of yours, Caelan. Since you were there, that makes you an accomplice as well."

    Iola answers. That settled it.

    "I''m an accomplice, an accomplice¡­"

    The guy slams his head onto the table and his notes. Seems like being called an accomplice for a crime he didn''t (want to) commit make the guy feel pretty bad. It''s not my business though. I don''t have time for stupid hijinks in study hours. When you study, you focus on studying, not stupid shits.

    With the quill pen in my left hand, I write down the summary for all the stuff Caelan just said out loud. The writing of the book may seems long-winged, but I think the authors did the best they could to convey large amounts of informations using the most interesting way possible to prevent the drowsiness a standard history lesson may induce. However, making it interesting is one thing, to make it easier to remember is another, and with their use of proses, the latter part is a failure on the authors part. Well, it''s always the student''s job to filter out what are worth remember and the rest.

    Yes, only a fool would learn everything he was taught at face value. I don''t believe in the concept of work hard. Diligently study every single words you were taught is the same as riding a wooden cart with two square wheels. You don''t praise someone for going miles and miles with a square wheels cart and call that working hard. It''s pure foolishness. Work smart, not work hard!

    Caelan also writes down his notes when he finished whining. When we are both done, it''s time to continue the lesson.

    "So, before we continue, is there any question?"

    Question? Well, I have some. Lots of them, in fact.

    "What happened to the Light Seal and the Dark Seal. Did they disappear after their bearers''r death?"

    Anul gave Primus his Seal in a dream, and the twins from the Heaven Realm got theirs since birth. While they sound very important, there is a chance they were just a one-of-a-kind thing and disappeared with their bearers''s death.

    "On the contrary, no. After the death of Primus, Enas and Dyo, several other bearers appeared over time, even to this day. In the Demon Realm, a Dark Seal will appear on someone when Anul deemed them worthy to bear his will. And in the Heaven Realm, they somtimes appear as a birthmark on destined newborns. A common belief is these children have special hidden talents and a great destiny awaits them. When they grow up, those people called them Heroes and grant them the mission to slay our Demon King."

    Iola answers.

    This sounds familiar. It''s like an overused plot for a Dragon Quest game, where heroes band together to put an end to a scheming Demon King hell-bent on destroying the world for unknown reasons. And now I got to jump on the wagon for a similar ride, except I''m on the bad side now.

    "If so, then all the Dark Seal bearers will be called Demon King as well?"

    I ask another question.

    "No no. The number of bearers in each centuries while not too many, but at the same wasn''t too few, Akuma. A Demon King is the one sitting on top of the Demon Realm, and certainly no good thing would come from a realm ruled by a bunch of different kings, right? And so, after the increase of seal bearers, the current leaders at that time decided to create a ritual to choose the most worthy Demon King from the Dark Seal bearers. Though to be accurate, rather than being chosen, the bearers themselves have to earn that right."

    "Earn?"

    That part piques my interest.

    "Combat. The bearers and their followers would band together and engage other bearers in combat. The last one remain shall be crowned Demon King and become the king of all under the realm."

    Suprisingly, Deborah suddenly chooses to join the conversation and explains that bit to me. Is she also interested in this topic?

    "The ritual is called a ¡¸Banquet¡¹. When the Realm is in need of a new King, a Banquet will be declared, and seal bearers across the land will make a pilgrim to the sacred capital of Irkalia to join the feast, which main dishs consist of the flesh and blood of their fellow seal bearers that share the same ambition. All this slaughters are made in the name of choosing a worthy king."

    Let''s just hope Deborah means the flesh and blood part figuratively rather than literally.

    After replying, Deborah returns to her indifferent attitude like always, one have to wonder why did she choose to interject in this matter earlier.

    "Hey guys, how do I gain a Dark Seal?"

    "No one knows, Caelan." ¨C Iola answers Caelan''s question. ¨C "People said that only the most outstanding and exceptional individuals would be chosen by Anul and granted a Dark Seal. The common norm is to train yourself a lot and become the strongest. One may say "Effort" is a deciding factor, but it''s just one way. No one really know how this thing works."

    So, if "Effort" is what granted a Dark Seal, and what is the criteria of the Light Seal? To be happened to get lucky during your earlier stage of life inside your mother''s womb? Seems fair, real fair.

    "So, are these seals have some kind of special ability, like increasing the power of their bearers?"

    I ask another question. This time, Iola seems eager to answer.

    "It''s a wrong notion that many believed. The seal bearers themselves said that they feel no sudden surge of power ever since they received their seal. HOWEVER¡­"

    Iola puts on a emphasis on her last part. If it doesn''t increase any power, then what use would a fancy seal like that have other than being a mere tatoo-like decoration?

    "The scholars have already did extensive research on the seals, and have came to a very weird conclusion, that is the seals have the power to manipulate fate itself!"

    Well, now ain''t that a weak power. I almost laugh out loud, but held myself back since I didn''t want to kill Iola''s rare enthusiasm.

    "Easy easy, Iola. No need to get so worked up."

    Deborah interjects yet again.

    "Now now, you do know I''m very interested in these topics."

    Suddenly, Iola''s eyes seems like they''re sparkling (figuratively). It is compareable to that of Archimedes''s Eureka! moment, without the streaking naked part. Iola surges from her desk to look at Deborah closer in the eyes.

    "Hey I know. How about you explain it to them instead, Deborah?"

    "What? Why me?"

    Deborah doesn''t seem to be interested.

    "Come on, both of us know you are the real expert in this topic."

    "Okay girls, I don''t care who, just give me the explaination I want. We don''t have time to waste."

    Tired of their hijinks, I speak out my mind. However, that doesn''t kill the enthusiasm inside Iola''s eyes. She looks like she''s hell-bent on making Deborah assume the role of Ms.Exposition.

    "So tired with you¡­"

    Deborah sighs in defeat as Iola goes back to her seat with a triumphant smile. Deborah then reluctantly performs her role as our new Ms.Exposition, though not before she puts her notes on to the middle of the table and gives me a cold glare, or should I say another cold glare.

    "Put your eyes and ears to work, because I won''t repeat a second time."

    "Yeah yeah."

    Seriously, what''s her problems? Does she has her period on 24/7?

    "A common belief in Airumel is every living beings, be it Lielos''s or Anul''s, sentient or not, all have their life determined by fate since birth. Even though most of these beings are capable of thought and choice, all of their actions would inadvertently serve to fulfill their own destiny. All of these destinies vary from person to person. There are those who were born just to become a grunt foot soldier and end their lives as an unknown corpse in the battlefield. Those who are lucky get to be something higher, like a noble or a king. They get to live a fulfilling life until death. However, their destinies may have already been determined, but the details on how it will happen usually depends on their own actions and outside influences."

    Deborah pauses to take a breath before continuing.

    "Like, let''s say you were told you will die on a battlefield, but details like when, where and how would be decided by you. You may die the moment you make the first step if you are weak, or after thirty years or so, provide you are strong enough. How your destiny happens is of your chosen. A linear from A to C, which B is the middle line that could be bent however you fit. That being said, you may also see yourself died before fulfilling your destiny, you could say it''s some sort of accident on a spiritual scale. It''s a very relative concept. There are many reasons for this, but the most common ones are because you just got bad luck, or your fate was intertwined with someone''s own fate and caused a paradox."

    Deborah demonstrates by drawing a straight line with three dots consist of A, B and C on her note. The first one is linear, just like she said, from A, to B then end at C. Then, Deborah draws another three dots with the usual A, B, C. However, this time, the B dot is up above and farther than the A dot. That doesn''t mean she can''t connects all three of them together. I guess this represents the non-linear nature of B ¨C the middle part influenced by a person''s choice. Finally, Deborah draws yet another three dots, this time they are linear like the first one, but the straight line ended at the B dot, represented by a X mark over the dot, and another straight line from above crossing the B dot, dubbed the D line by Deborah.

    "Then there come these guys. The seal bearers."

    She draws yet another picture, this time by drawing two dots standing opposite of each other. One she noted the name Heaven Realm above, the other is Demon Realm. Deborah then begins to draw some¡­stickmen of all things. She draws four stickmen with stick swords and bows on the Heaven side, and a horned guy wearing a black cloak that ooze "EVIL!" on the other.

    "Your drawings are terrible."

    "I didn''t hire any art critics, thank you."

    Deborah grudgingly answers. She still tries to finish her lesson despite her attitude, though.

    "Akuma, Caelan. In your mind, what is the mission of a Hero?"

    "Hmm. Slaying the Demon King?"

    Says Caelan. Since the guy have been pretty silent for a time, I let him answers the obvious question instead.

    "Wow. He knew."

    Iola comments in a surprised tone of voice.

    "Good job Caelan. Now I really believe you did graduate from the elementary classes as you said before."

    "On top of my class, in fact! You better remember it!"

    Caelan proudly answers Deborah. Welp, this guy is an idiot alright. Without giving Caelan any attention, Deborah continues.

    "Let us not waste time. It is indeed the mission of Hero is to defeat the Demon King, one could say it is their destiny and the very reason they were born for. But, the mission of a Demon King however is not just the extinction of their Heroes nemesis, but to lead the Demon Realm to glory and destroy their enemy''s alliance."

    "Then what does it has to do with the seals?"

    I ask my question.

    "The seals''s mission is to ensure the success of their bearers''s mission, at all cost."

    "At all cost?"

    That would mean no matter what, a Hero would have to slay a Demon King, and likewise on the Demon King''s part ?

    "To make it easier to explain, let just think of the Seals as a guide. Until the confrontation of their respective seal bearers, nothing would be able to sway them from that path. In a sense, they become invincible with the protection from fate itself."

    "Like, you could stab them all you like and they''ll just laugh it off ?"

    "It''s¡­more abstract than that. Here is an example."

    Deborah points her quill pen to the stickman she drew earlier.

    "Let say¡­A Dark Seal bearer are standing in front of four human warriors. The seal bearer was wounded prior, and thus isn''t at his full strength, speed and power. In this hypothesis, arrows alone are enough to kill the bearer. At this distance, the percentage for the human archers to make a accurate hit is 99%. Since he is wounded, the seal bearer has no way to lower the archer''s hit ratio, and of course, he could evade the arrows if they belong to the remaining 1%. So, this is the question: Would the seal bearer get shot with the 99% ratio, or would he successfully evade with the 1% ratio?"

    Well, 99% seems like an impossible ratio to miss a shot. That is like pointing a gun near point-blank at a glass bottle. Only an idiot would have miss such a shot. However, since I have spent nearly a month in this world, keeping a mundane mindset while people around you can shoot magic out of their hand everyday may prove to be fatal.

    "He will survive with only 1% chance."

    Deborah nods to confirm my answer.

    "Seems like you got it already. That is what makes the Seals so frightening. They can defy logics, turn black into white like it''s just a cakewalk if it''s what it takes. Once a seal was embarked on a person, the seal itself will make it damn sure that their bearer will fulfill their bestowed destiny, no matter what stand on their path. One could say a seal bearer was favored by fate itself."

    "Scary¡­"

    Says Caelan. Iola seems like she also has something different to say.

    "What a blessing."

    "I find it to be more than a curse, though."

    Deborah answers with a saddened reaction. I hold the same view as her. It''s like your whole life was decided from birth, and fate itself will make it damn sure that you will not stray from your path. From an outsider''s perspective, favored by fate seems like a blessing, but in the bearer''s eyes, it would actually a curse, a terrible one that can only be removed by death.

    "Well, do you actually notice something, Akuma?"

    "Hmm?"

    What does she means by that? Oh wait, come to thing of it¡­

    "If it''s their destiny to face each other, how would things resolve between a fight of seal bearers?"

    "Hoh¡­so it was worth teaching you."

    Deborah smirks as she hears my question.

    "It''s simple. Fate stops being bias toward anyone, and it just lets the bearers resolve the fight themselves. You could say the only moment they would be free from fate is a fight with their enemy seal bearer. This doesn''t just happen between a Light Seal and Dark Seal, however. This effect is also at work when two bearers of the same kind of seal get together. That''s why some Heroes prefer to make a party with normal warriors instead of their fellow bearers."

    And I guess this is how we got the "A brave hero makes friends on his journey to defeat the evil Demon King" story. Would be nice if half the kingdom and a princess to marry are throwed into the lot as rewards.

    "Well, shall we get back to the history lesson? We''re getting sidetracked for too long already."

    "One more question one more question!"

    Caelan interrupts Deborah''s line, accompanied by his waving hands.

    "Does a seal appear anywhere on the body?"

    "Why are you interested in that...?"

    I let out my voice in a worry. Did the shock of seeing Deborah in undies actually awaken Caelan''s hidden male instinct? So this is my fault?

    "Well, technically¡­yes. The most usual places is in the back of the hand, or under the collarbones. They may even appear on the bearer''s eye. However¡­"

    Iola answers...with a blush on her face.

    "They also sometime appeared in places that are slightly¡­hard to speak of. Like the 69th Demon King, Madam Istar¡­The cruelest and most violent Demon King in history¡­who unfortunely has her seal appeared on her¡­buttcheek."

    Well, it''s understandable. I would become the cruelest Demon King as well if the mark of my great destiny is located on my buttcheek.

    Speaking about buttcheeks, the scenery before when I entered the room begins to appear again in my head¡­

    "Enough of buttcheeks already! Get back to study!"

    Deborah embarrassedly shouts. Well, she''s right, enough of buttcheeks already. Get out of my head, buttcheeks.

    "Right right. Well, I guess it''s my turn this time."

    In order not to waste anymore time, I immediately take up the book and read the content out loud. However, unlike Caelan, I will speak only about the summary of the content, instead of reading everything word to word to save time and breath.

    --------------------

    When the Creation part ended, the next part was the Construction, a period of time used to strengthen each other''s faction.

    After the end of the Founding War, the Heaven Realm alliance''s old leaders each took their own path. They went to uninhabited lands with their followers, declared themselves Kings and built their own nations. Small countries quickly rose like mushrooms in a forest. At this time, there were several small scale civil wars inside the Heaven Realm''s territories to distribute the lands and resources among each other, mostly between the human factions, since they were the most numerous. The defeated nations were annexed into the land of the winners. A chaotic time full of bloodshed and violence.

    However, things weren''t better in the old continent of the Demon Realm. The death of Primus happened when internal strife was at its highest. And his death were simply a flaming torch thrown at a mountain of straw. In the next few years, clans and tribes kept fighting over the total control of the alliance. The only good thing that happened in this time was the lack of outside enemies for the Demon Realm, since their enemies were also busy fighting among themselves.

    Wars came and went, but it never disappeared from this world, only let peace temporarily took its domain until the day conflicts once again came.

    The world filled with light wasn''t any less chaotic that the time it was shrouded in darkness. However, in chaotic time, there would always be heroes who rose from the mass to bring peace to the land. And when I said heroes, I prefered to the Demon Kings of this Era, since of course, this book was written by demons.

    Just like what Deborah said earlier, after Primus, the Dark Seal didn''t disappear. Instead, it was granted to another three candidates. One from the Devilmen clans, one from the Vampire clans, and one from the Orc tribes. Declared themselves the successor of Primus, each of them took control of their respective race and clans under their own banner, they conquered numerous lands to be their territories and when the time was right, all three declared war among themselves.

    A stupid and barbaric method, but it was necessary evil. When words were useless, you could only bring order by the use of strength and violence. The strong would only gathered under the one stronger than them. With the three seal bearers fighting among each other, only the strongest would get to be the ruler. Two tigers cannot share one forest, of course. In the end, the one who triumphed was the Orc seal bearer, and he became the 2nd Demon King in history.

    This Demon King has learned from Primus that the former Demon King''s kindness would prove nothing useful to rule the unruly demons under the Realm. And so, in order to secure a future where internal strife would never happen again, the newly crowned Demon King ruled those under him with an iron fist. He performed several bloody purges, started with his fellow seal bearers''s clans that he fought and win. He rooted out the rebellious factions and secured order to the state. The new Demon King began to make laws to effectively rule his people, with harsh punishments awaited those who defy his laws.

    That apparently wasn''t enough in his eyes. The orc thought he needed something to unite the numerous clans that made up Demon Realm under a common cause. And just like how the humans created the Light God Church to wage war with the demons, the new Demon King gathered a group of old demons from all kind of clans to form a new religion. This group would be eventually be known as the ¡¸Elders¡¹, and they were tasked with the management of the newfound of Dark God Church, a religion in which they worship Anul.

    The Orc Demon King made this religion the national religion that all must follow. It was met with postive reactions, since the demons of the Realm has already worshipped Anul from a long time ago. This helped a lot in the unification of the residents of the Demon Realm under a common banner. However, this came with a cost, a very ironic cost for the Orc Demon King.

    The Orc tribes has no common god that was well known like the other races, however, they have their own religion in which they worshipped their heroes and founders, namely the four Orc brothers that made drastic changes to their whole culture. They were revered as War Gods and were worshipped by a sect of Warrior Monks. The law to change their religion had greatly affected the Orc tribes. While they knew full well the consequence of disobeying the Demon King''s will, they couldn''t bring themselves to abaddon their old ways. They were wiser than the old selves they once were, however. Their religion sect exiled themselves to prevent another bloody civil war that the Demon King worked so hard to prevent. And one thousand warrior monks set their foot on to the Nereus continent at the North to make it their newland.

    This was also the start of a side story, a trivial one, but interesting nonetheless.

    This land wasn''t as barren as the orcs thought. The orc monks unexpectedly met the dragons living in this continent, and they initially refused to let this small orc tribe inhabit on their own land. But, the Dragons has made a condition to give the orcs a chance: They have to defeat one of their own in order to earn the right to live in this continent. The Orcs accepted. The dragon chosen for the task was the weakest among his brethren. His name was ¡¸Alwaid, the Sickly Dragon¡¹. Born with the rare ability to get sick, this terminally-ill dragon fought against the Orc monks and lost. Alwaid died, but not without bring down the orcs''s number from a thousand strong to a few hundreds before his death. And so, the dragons upheld their promise, and allowed the orcs to settle in this land.

    Back to the Demon Realm once again. The policies made by the Orc Demon King proved to be very effective. Order was restored, and the ream was stronger than ever. However, after the exile of the warrior monks, dissent for the Orc Demon King was slowly rising among the Orc tribes. Little did he know that karma would eventually bite him in the back one day.

    During a visit at the border, the Orc Demon King and his guards were attacked by a band of warriors led by a Hero, who has sneaked past the border with the simple goal of slaying the current Demon King. The guards and the Demon King himself were strong, but the surprise element had already gave their enemy a lot of advantage. Their formation was broken, the guards were killed one by one. Using the time his men gave him, the wounded Demon King made his escape. Luckily, or unfortunately, there were several Orc legions in some guard posts nearby. The Demon King made some signal asking for help. Yet, none of those legions mobilized their force to help their king due to dissent for the Demon King. And thus, the Hero party made short work of this once mighty Orc and returned to their homeland in victory.

    Luckily, due to the changes the former King made to the Realm''s ruling structure during his time, chaos didn''t befall the land when the news of the Demon King''s death reached the ears of the commoners. The current ruling power had been given to the hand of the Elders as per law made by the former King. In order to prevent another bloody struggle for power among the seal bearers, the Elders decided to keep such bloodbath among the seal bearers themselves, and set stage for such things to happen in order to choose a new Demon King. This has became the founding of the ¡¸Banquet¡¹, a party of flesh and blood made for those who embark on their path toward Kinghood.

    And thus, centuries came and gone, along with eighty Banquets for the next eighty Kings.

    In the last day of the Month of Dark, I.G 1614, the Elders that worshipped Anul could no longer feel his presence on this world. This was also the same time most of the Dragons that lived in the Nereus continent decided to open a portal to another dimension called ¡¸Celestia¡¹ and left this world.

    At this time, the civil wars of small kingdoms in the Heaven Realm had been put to an end, and the surviving nations once again reunited as another alliance in order to prepare for the threat the demons pose. An alliance made from nine kingdoms, they called themselves the ¡¸Nine Kingdoms Alliance¡¹, which consists of:

    ¡¸Kingdom of Light ¨C Luminis¡¹ ¨C Home to the Light God Church and the faithful Paladins that fight evil and demons in Lielos''s name.

    ¡¸Kingdom of Sun ¨C Solis¡¹ ¨C A kingdom of knights founded by the disciples of Enas, and their legacies were carried on by the famed Yellow Knights.

    ¡¸Kingdom of Moon ¨C Lunae¡¹ ¨C The operation base for the deadly yet mysterious Moonlight Assassins.

    ¡¸Kingdom of Fire ¨C Ignis¡¹ ¨C Its founders were the Wizards descended from Dyo''s children, and became the land of knowledge where Wizards were born and trained.

    ¡¸Kingdom of Water ¨C Unda¡¹ ¨C The land of sailors and sea creatures, and home to the Alliance''s Navy. They were unmatched when it comes to naval warfare.

    ¡¸Kingdom of Metal ¨C Metallum¡¹ ¨C The most populous human nation of the alliance, they were known for their skills of smithery.

    ¡¸Kingdom of Wood ¨C Lignum¡¹ ¨C The country of Elves and Wisps, in which the biggest forests of the continent were occupied to be the founding land of their nation. The Elven women''s beauty were said to be rivaled by none.

    ¡¸Kingdom of Earth ¨C Terrae¡¹ ¨C Which was located under the mountain ranges at the farthest of the west. The rich resources under the earth gave these born-architects a fortune beyond their wildest imagination.

    ¡¸Kingdom of Wind ¨C Eurus¡¹ ¨C These archtree forests that pierced the sky were the home for the young Beastmens. They tamed the wild flying beasts here to be their rides and serve the alliance as their Airforce.

    Despite being called the Nine Kingdoms, there were only eight kings that acted as this alliance''s leaders. This was due to instead of a kingdom, Luminis was a theocracy, with Lielos being their one and only king. And so, while every conferences between the kings always have seats for nine, only eight kings would show up everytime.

    Apart from the Nine Kingdom Alliance, there were still several small nations far south of the west continent, however, the book provided no notable nation at this time.

    ---------------------------------

    "With this comes the end of my part."

    Damn, that was long-winged alright. After I''m done, just like Caelan before me, I immediately chug down all of my energy drink down my throat. It feels so refreshing. This one sensation is what makes life worth living! Well, one of them, anyway.

    Iola can be seen writing down notes, while Deborah just continues being Deborah by staring at people around her without doing anything. On the other hand, Caelan seems confused to the point I think his head is on the verge of exploding from information overload.

    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    "Easy there Caelan, stay with us."

    The guy looks dizzy, so of course being the nice guy I am I give him some concern that doesn''t come from the bottom of my heart.

    "Seems like he reached his limits."

    Says Deborah.

    "Well, let us have another small break then. Caelan, go fetch us some more drinks."

    Despite being tasked to be our errand boy yet again, Caelan takes Iola''s task with a smile on his face. Seems like he''s more fit for physical jobs rather than thinking. And so, with him out of the picture, only I remain in this room with two cute girls by my side, kya ha ha! Not that it would change anything, though.

    Well, no time for meaningless thought, I still haven''t write down my notes. Better do so before we continue.

    As I write down my notes, Iola once again wanders around the room, while Deborah just keeps sighing from the sight.

    "Hey Deborah, did you finish that new novel of yours?"

    "Which one?"

    "The one with the flame dragon. The title is "The Knight and the Flame Dragon", I think."

    What a clich¨¦ title.

    "Oh that one. It''s pretty bad for some reason. Still good to kill time in class, though."

    As Iola finds the book in question, she returns to her seat with the book in hand. A small book with violet cloth cover, it is the size of a novella, but still bigger than the light novels back in my world. It is strangely familiar, though. I have a feeling that this is the book Deborah was reading at the time I took a stroll near her class. The day where I had a chat with miss Walpurga.

    "Didn''t you say you like it?"

    "Well, I do like it, doesn''t mean I can''t criticize it for its flaws, can''t I?

    Did she glue a knife in her mouth and called it her tongue or what?

    "It''s interesting enough, isn''t it? A lone knight on a journey to save a princess from a fire breathing dragon. The author indeed have a wild imagination. A fire dragon, heh, never thought of that before."

    Hmm? Now this is strange.

    "Yeah, I wonder where on Airumel did the author find the idea of a fire-breathing dragon. But I''m more upset for the fact that the dragon kidnapped the princess and locked her in his lair for no reason. And how the hell can a dragon kidnap a princess without smashing her to bits from its strength, anyway? This dragon failed at being a dragon!"

    Well forget about killing princesses for a moment, I''m more interested in the fire-breathing dragon bit.

    "What do you mean when you girls said a fire-breathing dragon being interesting?"

    It was done to death in my world alright, and since this world has living dragons, isn''t it a common sight to the point they would get bored of it ?

    "Because fire-breathing dragons don''t exist."

    "What?"

    I am stunned from Iola''s answer.

    "What do you mean they don''t exist? Isn''t the most common image of a dragon is a big ass lizard flying in the sky burning down villages with its breath, kidnapping princesses and sleep in its lair under a mountain of gold and treasures?"

    Well, I think I have said too much back there.

    "Weird people with wild imagination are everywhere, I see. Maybe you should become an author instead?"

    Says Deborah. If she doesn''t have an answer for my question, why can''t she keep her mouth closed?

    "It may be a common sight in your world, but no one here ever saw a fire-breathing dragon before. There was no record of such creatures. Fire-breathing dragons are just a myth."

    Iola answers.

    "Dragons were creations of Anul. However, Anul himself did not have the ability to create light and fire, it''s unthinkable his creations would have such abilities."

    Iola brings out a good point, though.

    "It''s like telling a god to create a stone he cannot lift."

    Deborah seals the deal with her comment.

    "But don''t you have the title of Flame Dragon among the students?"

    "Rather than a title, I feel like they were mocking me instead when they gave me that moniker."

    Well, according to what I heard, she DID burn down the whole main hall. But I thought she would be happier when being compared to a myth rather than something really exists. Will she be happier if people call her the Flame Lizard? If they actually exist?

    "I think you''re misunderstanding something, Akuma. The dragons weren''t actually well respected by the residents of the Demon Realm. While their godly powers were worthy of praise, their ignorance on the world earned them hatred from the Realm''s inhabitants. You may interpret her title as a praise, but it doesn''t stem away the fact that more than half the people in this land hate the dragons."

    Well, okay, this is new to me.

    At that very moment, Caelan barges in with new drinks in hand. It''s like the guy has an internal guiding system on how to get into the room at the right moment.

    "So refreshing!"

    Says Caelan as he happily chugs the drink down his throat after he''s done distributing the drinks.

    "Well, let''s hope that put your mind at ease, because we still have a lot to review."

    Says Iola. I guess this means break time is over, time to get back to business.

    "I guess it''s my turn then, the next part is rather short. However¡­"

    Suddenly, Iola brings her gaze to Deborah''s direction.

    "Could you do me a favor and take on this part for me?"

    "What?"

    I don''t understand her reaction at first, only when I take a glance at the next part''s title that the truth behind Deborah''s response becomes clear to me.

    The title of the next part is [Great Demon King Dargoth].

    The man, the legend, or whatever they called him. Dargoth seems like a great guy, his name comes up almost everywhere. But what is the truth behind his story? I guess this the part where we learn about him. About Deborah''s grandfather.

    "You like bullying me that much?"

    "Actually no, but I begin to see the appeal."

    Iola answers Deborah with smile. This girl, she''s actually really dangerous!

    Deborah sighs as she unenthusiastically glance as her book. From my eyes, this sight of her looks like it was mixed with some disapointment, yet a few part has some sadness blended within it. Just what is her life story, and her deal with Dargoth?

    "I have a feeling you planned this all along."

    "Maybe. But, I think sometime, we have to face our past in order to move on."

    Deborah gives out another sigh in defeat.

    "Okay, you win. The next time, please stop inviting me for a study group like this."

    No one answers Deborah. She just opens wide her book in prepartion for her job. To be told the story of a legend by his direct descendant. A part of me feels exicited by the thought alone.

    Then, Deborah opens her mouth and begins.

    --------------------------------

    Deborah starts the third part with some information about the 80th Demon King. For every Demon King who fell, another one rose from those who braved through the bloody Banquets. This had been going on up until the death of the 80th Demon King. During a brief time when a Banquet happen, the Demon Realm would be leaderless before a new King was chosen. The Nine Kingdoms Alliance saw their chance in that window. They took lots of preparation for another large scale invasion to eliminate the threat the Demon Realm posed.

    When the 80th Banquet happened to choose the 81th Demon King (Apparently, the demons count the struggle during the 2nd Demon King''s rise to power as the first Banquet), the Alliance took the initiative and begin their invasion. Most of demons''s West coast had been quickly taken by the sudden blitz from the Floating Sea. The reformed armies under the Demon King''s changes were strong in power, and their leading generals had done a great job holding the enemy with everything they have, but since the chain in command was in shambles from the surprise attack, they could not reorganize themselves for a coordinated counterattack and was pushed back.

    This was also a moment that marked a new page in the history of the Demon Realm.

    The 80th Banquet was canceled, not because of the orders of the Elders, but from the act of seven candidates who were in the middle of fighting themselves. They abandoned the feast, and headed toward the frontline. Using their privilege as a seal bearer, the seven of them took command on the army and led the soldiers for a grand counterattack. Under their leadership, the fight to regain what was lost only costed seven months, which made it the fastest war resolved in the whole history of the Demon Realm. This victory was not only thanks to them, however, but it was also due to the strength of the soldiers bolstered by the changes the Kings before them made. Nonetheless, the Realm once again rejoiced for victory against their enemy.

    Yet, the demons never thought the end of a war would led to the start of another war.

    A coup d''etat happened, led by those seven Dark Seal bearers and their followers. All of them got tired of the Demon King system, and wanted to change the Demon Realm to their own liking, first by taking out all the roots of the old government. The Elders were hunted, killed, purged, but a few survived and went into hiding to preserve their old culture. After that, each of the seal bearer went to different lands across the Demon Realm and killed everyone who stood against their path. Every resistance movement proved to be nothing more that a futile attempt, and only served to be the ending of another tragedy.

    With this came a new era, an era that once again divided the lands into seven domains, ruled by one of the seven seal bearers. The seal bearers called themselves the Lords, but to this day, they are remembered as the ¡¸Original Seven¡¹, which their members consisted of:

    ¡¸Lucyfel, the Mother of Calamity¡¹ - A fallen angel who switched side to Demon Realm.

    ¡¸Sanat, the Defier of Mortality¡¹ - A wrathful necromancer with unknown origin.

    ¡¸Liwyatan, the Dark Queen¡¹ ¨C Once a noble and just queen, this elf was betrayed by her kin in the rose of the new Elven kingdom Lignum and was driven out of the land.

    ¡¸Asmodi the Hedonist¡¹ - The first incubus created. He was rumored to had a thousand lovers, at the very least.

    ¡¸Belzaboul, the Butcher of Life¡¹ ¨C A gigantic and barbaric Orc who regularly feasted on the flesh of his kin.

    ¡¸Manmon, the One who desire All¡¹ ¨C A noble Devilman who was also the richest living person at that time.

    ¡¸Belfegore, the Sleeping Beast¡¹ ¨C A werebeast hermit who spent most of her time mediating in the mountains.

    The way of ruling for each of these lords were different among each other. In some domain, people lived pretty carefree, like those who lived at Belfegore''s domain since she rarely did anything. However, in other lands, the terror the people there suffered was unimaginable, like those who lived under Belzaboul, who had a daily routine of making snacks out of random people he found on his strolls. Nonetheless, this warring, divided states were not something the people of the Demon Realm desirde. Their hope for freedom was manifested by the following Kings, chosen during small Banquets held by the remnants of the Elders. Everytime a new King was chosen, the people rose up to destroy the Original Seven''s authority.

    However, the lords were as cunning as they were cruel. Every attempt to destroy their regime ended up with the destruction of those who dared to rebel The skills and leadership they displayed during the counterattack against the Alliance had became something that earned the hatred of the Demon Realm''s inhabitants. Not even generations upon generations of Heroes were able to repel these beings. Despite their differences, all the seven lords were willing to cooperate when their rule was threatened. That was what made them so frightening. All seven lords have their own set of views and actions, but they held no ambition to become a supreme Demon King and were contented with what they had. That meant they would do anything and pay any cost as long as it helps them maintaining the status quo.

    The suffering continued until the end of I.G 1863. Which marked another turn in history.

    A lone man, with unknown origin, took on a journey throughout the land, from domain to domain. Every place he went, destruction followed. But what he destroyed was the lord from the land that he walked through. One by one, the strange man took down each of the lords of the Original Seven. Even when the remaining ones banded together to get rid of the unknown threat, little did they know that what they prepared was nothing more than saving the man the trouble of finding them. And within a year, all seven of the dreaded lords were defeated.

    The name of that man was ¡¸Dargoth Draconis¡¹.

    The man had his own plan, however. What he left in his wake was a crumbled nation, due to the defeat of those who ruled it. But, this was just the beginning of Dargoth''s tale.

    The first act Dargoth took was asking the support and loyalty of the former lords of the Original Seven to rebuild the land, all except Belzaboul, who he killed during their encounter out of disgust. Only five of them accepted this proposal of him. The one who declined was Sanat the Necromancer. He was exiled by Dargoth to prevent him from become a future threat, after having his asset and personal army confiscated. Then, Dargoth sought out the old Elders and asked them to recognize him as the new Demon King.

    To Dargoth, this was very necessary, since this great man was no seal bearer. And he became the 85th Demon King, the first one to become a Demon King without a seal, thanks to the support of the Elders and the people of the Demon Realm he saved.

    At the height of his power, and the support of his subordinates and subjects, Dargoth kick-started a total cultural and economic reformation on all fronts to rebuild his nation. One of the noteable cultural change was the enforcing of Last name to the people of the Demon Realm.

    The demons valued individuality. They viewed the personal strength higher than that of a collective''s. Also, the Last name wasn''t something new, the problem lied on the fact they were created by the humans ever since they became too numerous. To adopt the culture of the enemy wasn''t something the demons would easily accustomed to. However, that didn''t stop Dargoth on his path of reformation. Steps by steps, he enforced rules and made identifications for all the demons, giving out benefits of having names to identify their kin. Eventually, Last name became accepted by the demons and was still used to these days.

    The next reform he did was territorial division. He divided the vast Realm into provinces for several clans and tribes to rule. However, he didn''t give the new rulers of those provinces the right for an autonomous governing system. This was where he put the members of the Original Seven to work. For every several large provinces, he appointed a member of the former lords to once again became a Lord of those places. However, he also didn''t give the new lords total control of the land, and limited their ruling power instead. Using the new rulers of the province, Dargoth put those rulers under the new Lord, with the rulers having combined political power equal to that of the Lords themselves. This served to prevent a state where the head of the lands abused their power or neglected their responsibility, just like how the former Lords acted, nor would it allow the lesser rulers to run wild without control. It was not a far stretched to say Dargoth created several small constitutional monarchies to govern the vast Demon Realm. Like the last name, this system was still uphold even to this day.

    His reformation didn''t stop at just that. He still had more use for the former lords of Original Seven. His next act was to created a council to rule the Realm together, with the former lords and the King as members. In this ruling doctrine of his, when an important matter came up and could not be decided alone, the council would be summoned to find a solution, usually by the method of majority votes. Each of the members would have one vote for each problem, only that the King''s vote always have the value of two. This helped lessen the dependent of the Realm onto the King, and to maintain a working chain of commanding in the time where the leaders weren''t available. Just like earlier, this system was also used even to this day, and the new members of the lords remaned themselves the ¡¸Seven Pillars¡¹ instead.

    Dargoth also made more daring reforms. There were two policies that are very notable, one was the widespread development of education. During the old regimes, education was not an important factor. Most of the knowledge a commoner had came from teachers who regularly held small-scale classes. Schools and academies were only available to nobles and those with money. What Dargoth did was encouraging the mass to pursue higher education. He built public schools that anyone could attend and gathered the resources from the biggest schools to make a chain of academies that would eventually known as the ¡¸Four Great Academies¡¹.

    The next one was to allow trading with the Heaven Realm. Before his rule, trading with the enemies did exist, but only in the black market, the endless tax money that could be collected was wasted due to the prejudice that made open trading with their enemy impossible. What Dargoth did could be intepreted as making a large banner that said "Hey, sell me your stuff and we''ll let you buy our stuff". Due to the differences in currency, Dargoth gave his order to perform trading by using the crystals mined deep in the earth as currency. The crystals used were naturally solidified soul energy, which had no method to be artificially made. It could be used to become materials for weapons or armors making, and has lots of use for mages and alchemists. And thus, this policy was well met by numerous merchants, even from the Heaven Realm''s merchants themselves. With this act of his, and the following streams of tax money, the new policy had helped a lot for the Demon Realm''s improving economy.

    For these reforms, Dargoth had earned himself the ire of many conservatives nobles of the Realm, and even the kings of Nine Kingdoms Alliance, despite profiting from trading with the Demon Realm. Dargoth had enemies outside AND inside. Assassination attempts were his daily meals, along with the influx of Heroes who were after his head. None of the attempts worked. His rule however was still short, only lasted for twenty years. Dargoth finally met his fate under the blade of the greatest Hero ever produced.

    That Hero was named ¡¸Erdrick¡¹. Due to this brave act of his, he was called a ¡¸Savior¡¹ for slaying the most dangerous Demon King ever lived. However, despite his grand achievement, the detail about his adventure during Dargoth''s rule to his death was unknown and lost to time. There were no written record, nor a living witness to tell the tale. What remained were ruins and craters that survived the stream of time, which indicated a very large scale war that spanned almost all of the Demon Realm''s territories during Erdrick''s adventure.

    According to the theories of demons''s historians, the lack of info was theorized to be the result of the pillaging and destruction of Demon Realm''s history records during the Alliance''s invasion, along with the massacre of witnesses. However, theories were only theories. Details of Dargoth''s last ten years rule remained vague, only his achievements were securely recorded and passed on to the future generations. What holes left in history became tales and legends of the valiant Dargoth who freed and enlighted the demons, before dying by the blade of the evil Savior. For his service as a Demon King without Dark Seal, he was dubbed the Great Demon King by those who know of his tale.

    With the death of Dargoth, history once again turned its page, and the time after his reign was used to marked a new age from the aged antiquity. From the I.G calendar, all of Airumel had agreed to use the P.D calendar as the new mark of time, which was P.D 0000.

    End of lesson.

    --------------------------

    "So, that''s the end. Are you happy?"

    Deborah slowly closes her book. She writes down the noteworthy details and when she''s done, Deborah just stares at the scenery outside the window without saying anything. It''s hard to tell what she''s feeling right now. The girl just spoke out loud the life and death story of her grandfather. Well, I''m sure as hell I won''t feel normal if I''m in her shoe.

    "You did well, Deborah."

    Says Iola. On the other side, Caelan seems confused. Well, maybe the guy is trying to piece the large amount of information together in his head.

    "The next part is pretty trivial, since it''s just the summary of the lesson. So, I shall compensate by teaching several trivial yet important information. Let us begin, you got any question?"

    "This place¡­it is really Dargoth''s castle?"

    I have heard this place being Dargoth''s castle before, yet I can''t believe such a great person once lived in this place.

    "Yes. It was granted to Lord Dargoth when he first became the Demon King. When he began to make the concept of Four Great Academies come true, he fully intended to donate his castle to become one of the academies. However, due to some problems, only after his death did we make his wish comes true."

    I guess she means the war and stuff. They did have an invasion or something like that during Erdrick''s fight with the Demon King.

    "Did he¡­die here?"

    I ask. The book has no mention of the location where he died, but I have a feeling that he did die here¡­

    "Yes. His corpse was found in this castle. The state in which his corpse was found was terrible according to the records, and more than half of the castle was destroyed during the fight. To fulfill his wish, the people back then repaired the castle and made it an academy eventually known as Melas. Because of that, even though it was the bottom of the academies, the fact that this castle alone used to belong to Dargoth was the main thing that attracted many youths to study here, even those from prestige families. One of them being Amadia Deveraux."

    That girl? She came from a prestige family? Well, she do has that aura of a rich and noble girl, but that''s just it.

    "Is the Deveraux family that famous?"

    "Well, Amadia Deveraux is the daughter of the 7th Asmodi. That alone makes her family famous."

    Asmodi? As in¡­Asmodi the Hedonist? One of the Original Seven that terrorized this land?

    "The daughter of the 7th Asmodi¡­does that mean she''s a direct descendant of that Asmodi!?"

    Unexpectedly, Iola shakes her head to refute my words.

    "She and the first Asmodi has no blood relation. It is understandbly that you don''t know, since the book made no mention of it. To prevent nepotism, Lord Dargoth made several changes to the Banquet ritual that served to find new Demon King. The first one is the discouragement of killing your opponents, and the second one is allowing those who lost a chance to serve the Realm as a member of Seven Pillars."

    Now this is new.

    "If a member of Seven Pillars was deemed unworthy of the position by the others, or there is an vacant position. They will take a vote to select a new pillar from those who proved themselves during the Banquet. The one chosen will have a choice to accept the new position. If they chose so, they will be crowned as a new member and gained Lordship, successing the one before them. From that point on, people would call them with their title rather than their name. For example, the 7th Asmodi has the name Ashtart Deveraux, but people would just call her Asmodi instead."

    I see. When you become a Lord, you take on a whole new persona instead. People remember you by your title rather than yourself. Not sure if I want it that way.

    "Must be hard, being a Lord''s daughter."

    Surprisingly, that line came from Caelan, who''s expressing something that sounds thoughtful once in while.

    "She does seem to like the expectations." ¨C Says Iola ¨C "Unlike a certain someone."

    Iola suddenly give Deborah a glance, and the girl in question replies grumpily replies like usual.

    "What?"

    Says Deborah.

    "If only you be more serious about the future. A lot of people is expecting you to take Dargoth''s mantle and become a Demon King yourself. You know?"

    "I don''t care what people expect of me. I don''t want their expectation."

    Her words are like daggers piercing my heart. I don''t let out my thought, of course. But there is this certain¡­pain¡­growing inside of me.

    I dodn''t say anything. Nobody says anything. The room falls to an awkward silence. Even Caelan can''t think of anything stupid to say. We can only stare at each other before averting our eyes to away..

    "Well¡­I guess we should call it a day, yes¡­?"

    Says Iola as she tries to brighten the atmosphere. We can only agree, since it''s the best solution for now. We still having a large section about the Hundred Years War in the next lesson, but I don''t think there is anyone of us who is in the mood to learn anything at all. The best we can do is making random chatters and let the steam of studying out.

    "Hey Deborah, have you take preparations for the Familiar competition?"

    Iola asks. An honest and ordinary question. However¡­

    "!!"

    Deborah suddenly stands up, like a switch was flipped inside her.

    "Deborah? What''s the problem?"

    "Err¡­no, nothing. I''m fine."

    Well, standing up and acting weird in the middle of a conversation isn''t exactly "Fine" in my dictionary.

    "Iola, what is the Familiar competition?"

    "It''s a competition to gain extra grades in the semester''s final. It''s exclusive for members of Magic Arts only, though. It requires a mage to have a familiar to participate."

    That sounds like a competition for pet dogs to compete, like those on TV, right?

    "That sounds nice. Why don''t we compete, Deborah?"

    I jokingly say that out loud. I bet our participation will surpise a lot of people when she bring a human to a monster competition.

    However, I don''t have a chance to hear her snapping back at me as usual. Deborah''s sweating for some reason. The girl looks nervous instead of her usual composure self. This doesn''t look very good.

    "Deborah? What''s the problem?"

    "¡­"

    She doesn''t answer my question. Not until after a minute passed.

    "It''s optional, and I don''t want to."

    "But I want to. Just let me do all the work like before. You won''t have to lift a finger."

    I don''t mind. I enjoy letting people feel in awe of my ability.

    "Just shut up! This concerns about you more than you thought, you idiot!"

    Wait¡­what is that? For some reason, I feel weird about her statement. And it seems like Deborah also realizes her earlier mistake. She tries to cover her mouth in attempt to stop sprouting out unnecessary words, but what she already said can no longer be taken back.

    "Just¡­forget about what I said."

    Come to think of it, the actions she took that day, her disappearance, and her saddened face during my confirmination as her familiar. They were all very strange. Yep, this is weird, very very weird. And I can only think of one explanation.

    "Deborah, what happened? What happened during your meeting with the Headmaster that day?

    "¡­"

    She doesn''t answer. Does that pretty much confirm that I hit the jack pot? Caelan and Iola also look confused about what''s happening before their eyes.

    Something must have happened during her visit to the headmaster. If the thing that witch said that day concerned me, then I''ll pursue it to the end of the earth!

    "She said something about me to you, didn''t she?"

    Once again, Deborah keeps her silence. That doesn''t make her any less innocent. I feel that she''s gonna crack if I continue to pursue this. One more push and she''s mine.

    "Care to share to us your story?"

 Chapter 15: A girl and the unexpected dilemma

    Deborah knocked on the door with the dragon-face door knockers in front of the Headmaster¡¯s office. Despite the little strength she invested, the sound made by the door knockers was still awfully loud. When permission from the person inside had been granted, Deborah opened the door and entered to the room.

    The mountains of books hadn¡¯t had any noticeable change ever since Deborah¡¯s last visit to this room. It was still as messy and chaotic as ever. One might drop their jaw to the ground if she told them this was the office belonged to the Head of an Academy. Honestly, this was one of the reason why Deborah never bothered enough to visit the Headmaster unless she has to, which unfortunately, was today.

    With a room like this, no wonder that woman hasn¡¯t got herself a husband yet.

    After she found her way to escape the maze of tomes and books, Deborah came face to face with the Headmaster. The woman was still leisurely sitting behind her desk as she did paperworks but not without a cup of tea nearby. The sweet fragrance filled the air around with the aroma of high-class tea.

    ¡°You summoned me, Headmaster?¡±

    ¡°Sure sure. Take a seat and wait for a bit. As you can see, I still have some unfinished paperwork left.¡±

    Deborah looked around. There were no chairs for her to sit in this room. Of course, the only places left to sit and take a rest were the piles of tomes that populated this room.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine with standing, thank you.¡±

    The Headmaster didn¡¯t answer back however. She was still checking the papers on her desk. After a quick glance, Deborah could see that these papers were reports about the frontier. It was about the supplies and preparations for the upcoming annual winter defense exercise, but people near the frontier knew better. It was just an occasion for the two rivals armies to show off their forces in front of each other under the cold before returning.

    ¡°Annnd done.¡±

    After she was done checking, the Headmaster quickly gave her consent for these papers by stamping them with her seal. Then, she put those papers away to clean the desk before getting into business. Which made it pretty ironic that the only thing in this mess of a room that remotely has some sense of order was the Headmaster¡¯s working desk.

    ¡°Sorry for the wait.¡±

    The Headmaster cheerfully spoke. Deborah however did not answer back yet.

    ¡°Now now, why the long face?¡±

    The woman put out a smiles on her gray lips.

    ¡°What did you call me here for?¡±

    ¡°I just want to have a talk, really. Can¡¯t a guardian has a chat with her ward sometime?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Right, Deborah almost forgot that this Headmaster, Nilrem Erramun, was also her legal guardian tasked with the job to oversee her for the time she spends studying here. But despite being called her guardian, Deborah¡¯s interaction with the Headmaster was next to none. Unless emergency problems came up, like the thing with Akuma, Deborah herself would not voluntarily sought her out for anything.

    ¡°So, what would you like to talk about?¡±

    Deborah asked.

    ¡°Let see, let see.¡±

    The woman clad in grey took a sip of tea before continue.

    ¡°How¡¯s your health lately? Do you still got that strange feeling?¡±

    ¡°No, not exactly.¡±

    ¡°I see. A good thing, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Deborah nodded. She began to remember the day she earned herself the Flame Dragon moniker. The first time she had the ¡°feeling¡± that the Headmaster just spoke of.

    It was a crowded day. Of course it was, since it was the first day of a new school year. Before enrolling here, students had already chosen their department of choice and went to their respective departments for the new semester meeting by the time they arrived. The Magic Arts¡¯s meeting place was the main hall of the school, just near the entrance of the castle and has a chapel one floor underneath. During the meeting, the teachers decided to make a small test to find out the elemental origin of the students. Strangely, the Headmaster herself also attended this class for some reason.

    The device used to test the elemental origin was a crystal orb. When a new student put their hand on the orb, it would show images to indicate that person¡¯s elemental origin. Like a person with Water element will see a dance of the sea inside the orb. Deborah herself was also excited. However, when her turn came up, just before she walked to the orb, Deborah suddenly felt strange. Like her heart was pierced by iron spears and swords. It wasn¡¯t serious, but a pleasant feeling it was not. Despite that, she still took up on the test, and touched the crystal orb in order to find out her elemental origin.

    Fire. A small fire was what Deborah and the others around saw from the orb. Suddenly, before she knew, that little fire burst into a large, uncontrollable flame. The crystal orb began to crack and shatter. From inside of the orb, that tremendous flame burst out from its shell and began to burn everything around it to ashes. Strangely, it didn¡¯t burn Deborah herself, but everything around her were not spared from its wrath. The whole main hall was burned down by that flame, and it brought fear and panic to the students that luckily managed to escape.

    The flame was putted to an end by sorceries of the famed Archsage Nilrem, who was there in person just before the flame spread out farther than the main hall. Deborah could not help but wonder if the Headmaster herself knew this would happen. However, it was a good thing no one died that day, thanks to Nilrem¡¯s intervention.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    ¡°Deborah, is something matter?¡±

    The voice of the women in question brought Deborah out from her fragments of memories.

    ¡°Oh¡­Sorry, I just had some nostalgia.¡±

    ¡°Hmm. Why does this look so strangely familiar? Ah right, that Familiar of yours also has your strange habit of wandering deep in thought.¡±

    The women seemed amused with the new trivia information she just learned. She took her reward by the mean of another sip from her tea cup.

    ¡°People always said Familiars share many similar traits with their master.¡±

    Said Deborah.

    ¡°Haha. But then again, that kid is anything but similar to you.¡±

    The women silently laugh to herself.

    ¡°So, another question. Do you still have those nightmares lately? Or those sound-proof walls have finally worked as intended?¡±

    Deborah had not answer yet. She was doubting whether or not she should tell the headmaster these information, but then proceeded to do what her guts told her and let the headmaster knows anyway. While Deborah was still in distrust with the Headmaster, Nilrem was the only one she has that resembles a ¡°family¡± right now.

    ¡°No. I haven¡¯t got any nightmares since several weeks ago.¡±

    Those nightmares, while Deborah no longer have any memory of them, they still haunted her everytime she tried to go to sleep. But that was before, as of now, they had all disappeared for strange reasons. Her sleep has never been better before.

    ¡°I see. It is good then. But several weeks ago¡­wasn¡¯t that around the time you summoned Akuma?¡±

    Deborah just nodded. However, the Headmaster¡¯s words had finally made her noticed. There is a chance that¡­.

    ¡°Do you think he is related to the disappearance of those nightmares?¡±

    ¡°Maybe. Maybe not.¡±

    Deborah answered. While the guy she summoned was a bag of mystery and the time matched, it was still far too soon to conclude that he was the reason for the end of her nightmares. Well, from a certain point of view, one could say her nightmares didn¡¯t disappear, they just took on a physical form and called themselves Akuma.

    However, put that aside, the more questions the Headmaster asked, the more she made it clear that her objective for this conversation wasn¡¯t about Deborah but the young familiar. Tired of her charade, Deborah loudly spoke out.

    ¡°What business do you want to do with Akuma?¡±

    Surprised, the Headmaster just gave out a laugh as if she wanted to confirm Deborah¡¯s speculation herself.

    ¡°You catch on quick. I¡¯ll give you my praise for that.¡±

    Deborah felt uneasy. Sweats started dropping from her cheeks. For every of her meeting with the Headmaster, Deborah came to conclusion that when she wanted to talk about something, it usually won¡¯t be good. Deep inside, Deborah hoped that her premonition was wrong for once, especially this time.

    ¡°Do you know of the Familiar competition, Deborah?¡±

    ¡°Yes. An event exclusive to members of the Magic Art only.¡±

    According to what Deborah heard, the Familiar competition was an event where a master banded with his or her Familiar of choice to form a party, and together they would have to fulfill a request made by the organizers in order to win. The request was different each year, but there was one common point that would always stay the same: Combat between familiars on the path to complete the request. The real competitors of this contest were the familiars. The masters could only act as supporters for their familiars and were forbid from directly taking offensive actions. There were no runner ups, and there could be only one winner. All of this for the sake of extra grades for the semester¡¯s final. But strangely, this competition was rather popular with students from other departments, since it was free for spectators to observe.

    But then again, Deborah had zero intention to be an attention seeker to join that contest.

    ¡°What do you want me to do?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s simple. I want your familiar, Akuma, to enter this competition.¡±

    Deborah had a hunch she¡¯d say something like that, but to think it had come true¡­

    ¡°But he¡¯s not a member of the Magic Arts.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t ask him to enter as a master, I ask him to enter as a familiar.¡±

    Deborah knew full well coming here was a bad idea. If what that woman want was for Akuma to enter this contest, didn¡¯t that mean she ¨C Deborah ¨C also has to enter as well ?

    ¡°I refuse.¡±

    ¡°Of course, you are free to refuse. I don¡¯t remember asking you to enter, I want you to ask Akuma to enter instead.¡±

    But in order for Akuma to enter the contest, he needed his master ¨C Deborah ¨C to enter as well. The Headmaster just gave Deborah a deadlock that she was trapped into. A harsh and cruel dilemma.

    ¡°What if I don¡¯t want him to join?¡±

    Like she had already anticipated this question of hers, the Headmaster subtly smirked and gave out her answer.

    ¡°I will expel Akuma.¡±

    ¡°Who gave you the rights!? How could you call yourself a Headmaster if you threaten to expel people just because they won¡¯t bend to your will!?¡±

    Deborah shouted. However, the women¡¯s reaction was still the same, unfazed by the loud voice coming from the girl in front of her.

    ¡°I see he hasn¡¯t tell you this yet.¡±

    ¡°Tell me what?¡±

    Deborah clenched her fists in confusion.

    ¡°You do know that I was the one who allowed him to enroll here, right? The fee for his tuition was paid by me. However, that money came from the fortune you inherited, but it was currently managed by me as per will of your parents until you become an adult.¡±

    While Deborah did know about the fortune she will inherit, the part about Akuma¡¯s tuition fee coming from her pocket was new to her, though she already had some speculations about that before, knowing who allowed him to enroll here to begin with.

    ¡°And?¡±

    ¡°When he choose to enroll here, I gave him two conditions: One is about his tution fee, he will need to pay for his second and third year, and he needs to repay the first in the future. Two¡­¡±

    The Headmaster gave her sentence a pause, as if she¡¯s trying to increase the tension.

    ¡°Two is that he needs to provide good results during his school year in order to prolong his ¡°scholarship¡±.¡±

    Deborah could already see where this was going, however, she still kept her silent in hopelessness.

    ¡°This is the time I want him to provide that good results I just spoke of. Let me sum it up for you: Either Akuma enters the Familiar competition, or he¡¯ll get expelled.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t do that!¡±

    Deborah slammed on the desk with her hands, making the papers on top of it splatter everywhere.

    ¡°Actually, I can. And I will, if he does not enters.¡±

    The sheer thought of someone abusing her rights of managing Deborah¡¯s money to put pressure on Deborah herself angered her. But still, Deborah could not do anything in response. She clenched her fists to the point of bleeding herself. Her blood dropped bit by bit onto the white papers across the desk.

    Yet, the Headmaster still kept her unchanging smile without batting an eye.

    ¡°Of course, you can pay for his tuition after you graduated, since you¡¯ll have full access of your inheritance by then. But until that time, for two years, Akuma can¡¯t stay in this castle. He will be sent to the wild out there. Let¡¯s hope he survives until the time comes.¡±

    ¡°Why¡­why do you want me to do this ? To ask me to tell him¡­¡±

    Deborah averted her eyes to the ground, to the small pool of blood that had yet to stop dropping from her hand.

    ¡°Because you are his master. It¡¯s natural, isn¡¯t it, to ask for permission from a master?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Deborah didn¡¯t answer. She just turned her back to the Headmaster, before letting out a voice.

    ¡°Do you still need anything from me?¡±

    ¡°No. You are free to go now.¡±

    The girl didn¡¯t bid her goodbye. A loud slam could be heard at the entrance after Deborah walked out of this office. The room returned to the silence it once had.

    Nilrem yet again took another sip of tea.

    The tea today tasted more bitter for some reason.

 Chapter 16: A run for the sake of tomorrow

    In the deep of the forest, I run with all my strength and breath. Sweat has already drenched my clothes and body. My muscles are in pain, yet I can¡¯t allow them to fail me at this moment.

    I run and run, with my only destination being the road ahead.

    ¡°Gruooaahhh!¡±

    From a nearby bush, a monster hyena jumps out and lunges at me with only one simple objective: that is to take a bite at this running prey. It bares its filthy fangs with some lingering left-over meat from its last meal toward me, only a few centimeters away from reaching my flesh.

    However, in a split second, a spear comes out from the direction behind my back, piercing the hyena¡¯s mouth with only one decisive thrust. Red blood splatters out as the hyena grunts in pain. However, before its suffering is prolonged, an iron sword slashes open its neck, separating the head and the body with one clean strike, leaving no trace of blood on the sword¡¯s body.

    ¡°Keep running, Akuma!¡±

    Caelan yells behind my back, as he throws away the hyena¡¯s head stuck in his spear to deal with the remaining pack of angry hyenas chasing us behind. However, for every hyena that tries to approach me, with Caelan behind to defend my back and my sides, let¡¯s just say they don¡¯t have the second chance to try again.

    Despite what it may look like, this is not a serious situation, nor does it have an epic backstory on how we got here. It¡¯s more comedic in nature, really, never mind that I am being chased by demonic hyenas from hell that eat people for breakfast, with a guy who has muscles for brain as my only bodyguard.

    This is simply a new daily routine as part of my physical training plan.

    ¡°Two on the front!¡±

    Caelan yells yet again. Of course, because I really need his warning since I have trouble seeing the ambush prepared by two demon hyenas in front of my eyeview under the morning¡¯s light. Well, enough witty comments. At his position, Caelan can¡¯t offer much help if there are two of them waiting in front of us. I guess I should give him a helping hand then.

    With the gun in my left hand, I point toward the ambushing enemies. Both of them begin to run toward us as soon as we get into their sight range. They synchronize their movement pretty perfectly, like veterans in the art of hunting, but a beast¡¯s hunting tactic is nothing before the might of science and gunpowder!

    Aiming a gun while running is as difficult as I imagined. However, when the two of them get to the range where I¡¯ll get a sure hit, I don¡¯t hesitate to pull the trigger. The lead bullet comes out of the black barrel after the gunpowder was exploded. At this range, its velocity can even pierce through iron plate, let alone a beast¡¯s flesh. As expected, one shot near the head is enough to take one of the hyena down.

    All that¡¯s left is the remaining demon hyena. As their pincer attack plan fails due to the death of one hyena, I use that chance to evade from the remaining one. Being left out, the beast quickly meets its fate under the spear of Caelan running behind.

    And thus, my physical training plan continues, up until the sun is at its highest in the sky.

    ¡­

    We arrive at the entrance of the forest after a run around Darkwood. As I set my foot onto the entrance, I let my body do what it wants and collapses on to the ground, with my face facing the sunlight above. My nose keeps sucking oxygen in the air to fill my now-tired lungs. With how my heart is racing right now, I have a feeling that they are holding a flamenco dancing party inside my chest without my permission. Man, so tiring.

    However, despite taking the same running course as mine, Caelan still hasn¡¯t break any sweat. His radiant smile makes it look like he¡¯s ready for another twenty laps on the course I just took. Well, despite knowing the guy is the physical type, it¡¯s still jarring to see the difference of a fresh city boy and a trained warrior.

    ¡°So, where should I put all these corpses?¡±

    Caelan asks. Behind him is a brown medium-size bag full of corpses. They are hyenas¡¯ corpses, of course. As we got close to the finish line, I asked Caelan to gather some dead corpses to the bag I prepared first hand. The size of that bag can only hold five or six hyena corpses at most, but for my purpose, that alone is enough.

    ¡°Go dig a hole somewhere¡­and put them in.¡±

    I answer. The guy seems surprise as expected.

    ¡°Dig a hole? Why¡­?¡±

    ¡°Just do it.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    Despite having the tendency to ask questions, Caelan is surprisingly obedient. He always do what people demand him to do, be it running errands for some girls just because he was asked, or training under the cold half-naked because his teacher told him to. I guess that is what makes people think his brain is similar in size to a bird, too easy to be used by others without being able to think for himself. Though I think he¡¯s just good natured instead of gullible. That¡¯s not a bad thing. People today are too devious for their own good.

    As I keep resting in peace, Caelan goes to a nearby empty land and begins digging a hole using his bare hands for the purpose of burying those corpses. Piles and piles of dirt keep gathering the more Caelan digs. With such speed and vigor, he¡¯ll put the best of the dogs of my old world to shame in a bone-hiding contest.

    Wait, am I forgetting something? Hmm¡­let me rethink again. He¡¯s digging a hole on the ground...with his bare hands. Yes, something like that.

    Wait! He¡¯s digging a hole with his bare hands!

    I stand up and run toward the guy and shout.

    ¡°Wait Caelan! At least use a shovel or something!¡±

    However, I was too late. Caelan has already dug out a hole large enough to put the corpses in, using only his bare hands. The guy climbs out of the hole he just dug, still look vigorous as ever.

    ¡°Hmm? Is something the matter?¡±

    ¡°Your hands.¡±

    ¡°Oh, these ?¡±

    Caelan shows me his hands. Despite being full of dirt, they aren¡¯t hurt even just a bit even after all that digging. Strange¡­

    ¡°But how¡­?¡±

    ¡°Practice! With enough practice, you can dig out holes with your bare hands too!¡±

    Caelan answers with a radiant smile on his face.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tempt me to the path of muscles, please.¡±

    I reply back. However, it¡¯s still strange with how Caelan could dug out a hole from the ground without hurting himself.

    ¡°Just¡­how did you do that?¡±

    ¡°You put your hands on the ground and start digging!¡±

    ¡°Not that, genius!¡±

    I give the guy a karate chop on his head to make him straighten his line of thought. Surprisingly, he is actually affected by that weak chop of mine, and put his hands on his head to ease the pain (?). Well, maybe my chop wasn¡¯t as light as I thought, because my hand is also hurt as well. So I guess the guy is a literal blockhead. But that¡¯s not the point.

    ¡°Just tell me how can you dug a hole with your bare hands without hurting yourself.¡±

    ¡°Oh that, right, that. Hmm, I guess you mean to ask about soul enhancement.¡±

    ¡°Enhancement?¡±

    ¡°The thing that helps you dig out holes without hurting yourself.¡±

    Well, it¡¯s sure a helpful explanation.

    Though, come to think of it. During the history lesson the other day, the book said something about Enas and his ability to imbue soul energy onto his weapons. Maybe this is the same as that thing?

    ¡°How did you get that ability?¡±

    ¡°Training! Teacher said that just train and train your body until you can feel the very flow of soul energy within yourself, and don¡¯t be like those sissy mages who think they¡¯re the shit just because they can blow stuff up with their brain!¡±

    That sounds like something Bjarni would say.

    ¡°You need to concentrate your soul energy to a part of your body, and make it a part of your body as well. Here, let me show you.¡±

    Caelan suddenly runs toward a tree near the entrance of the forest. He turns his head back and look toward me, as if waiting for me to come there. As I keeps approaching him, Caelan raises his fists. I can¡¯t see his face at my position, but looking at how things are at this time, this looks like what¡¯s going to happen will be a sight to behold.

    Caelan takes a deep breath, and relaxes his body. However, his arms still look at stiff as ever. Suddenly, he lunges toward a tree in front of him. He throws a punch, with each of his fists at two different places on the tree¡¯s body, which shakes it a little as he¡¯s done with his stunt. When the guy is finished, I walk closer for a better view as Caelan stands back to let his spectator watches his work.

    On the tree¡¯s body right now are two cracks. The one on the left is bigger, deeper, making it look like it was crushed by a wild and mad boar. The other crack however is pitiful compared to the one beside it, like the work of a stupid deer high on grass. While that punch is strong enough to makes a mark on the tree, its destructive power pales in comparison with its brother.

    ¡°When imbued with soul energy, your body part would be stronger, tougher, as long as you keep concentrating your soul energy in that body part. Circling your soul energy to your body parts however is easier said than done. It takes time and require more on guts feelings. That¡¯s why you gotta train until you can do this as well!¡±This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Caelan raises his fists yet again for me to see. His left arm is completely unharmed, save for several tree shred stuck on his fist. The other however¡­it looks pretty bad, and it¡¯s bleeding!

    ¡°Holy shit, your hand is bleeding!¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Bleeding?¡±

    Caelan glances at his right fist, which is bleeding pretty bad right now.

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s just some blood. It¡¯s fine really, I get that all the time! Hahaha¡±

    ¡°Fine my ass! Don¡¯t come to me when your wound get infected!¡±

    Despite what I said, I give the guy some first aid to prevent such thing to happen. The lessons I learned as a support Alchemist has been put to good use. A clean cloth, a little painkiller and some disinfectant and we¡¯re done.

    After our little charade, we both get to work yet again. Well, mostly Caelan. When you got free muscles to use, then why bother getting the job done yourself? I ask Caelan to throw the hyena¡¯s corpses into the hole he just dig, fill that hole with manurial soil, wood ash and other materials that I prepared beforehand and tell him to close that hole when he¡¯s done. The tall, orange-blonde guy happily complies and finishes his job in less than five minutes, using just one hand. Impressive.

    ¡°Now comes my part.¡±

    On top of the now-filled hole, I begin drawing a magic circle, with the sun and the moon symbol in the opposite of each other. In the middle of the circle, I draw a tree symbol. Two, to be exact, but with the way I draw it, it looks more like a tree and its reflection on the water rather than two. Both of them are not the same, however. One is very tall, the other is as small like a child. Add in some circling direction arrows and random magic words then we¡¯re done. After I finish drawing, I touch the circle I just drew. It radiates a small light, indicating the spell is working. However, nothing flashy happens. Of course, if I want to do flashy magic, I would have learn Verbal Magic and throw fireballs instead.

    ¡°So, what does this magic circle do?¡±

    With the curiosity of a cat, Caelan asks.

    ¡°This spell is called ¡¸Acceleration¡¹. It hastens the process of objects within the circle¡¯s radius.¡±

    The sun and moon represent the cycle of day, with the tree and its reflection represent the change of age brought by time. With the way I use it, the materials in the hole will decompose after a day, and the process will keeps going faster until what remains become saltpeter. I guess it¡¯ll take three days at most. Sulfur and charcoal aren¡¯t that hard to find around here. With a supply of saltpeter, I guess I don¡¯t have to worry about ammunition for a while, though it would still take a hell lot of efforts to make the bullets themselves.

    ¡°So, what good will come from placing it on top of a pile of corpses and whatever smelly things you asked me to put there?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ll produce magic, Caelan. Mind-blowing magic. Well, mostly the blowing part.¡±

    The guy looks confused, as expected. After a while, he eventually gives up thinking and just does several push up to kill time while waiting for me to recover my stamina. Before we return, the two of us is going to take another wild run across the forest.

    This has been our training plan for three days, ever since that study group¡­

    [To enter, or to be kicked out.]

    That was the ultimatum given by the Headmaster and delivered by Deborah. Deborah kept her story short, so the only thing noteworthy in her story was the condition for me to continue studying here. Either I enter the Familiar competition, or say good bye to this newfound school life of mine. Yep, no pressure at all.

    I have yet to give Deborah my clear answer, but I guess she should have already known what I will choose, if she judges from my current plan. This physical training plan of mine represents my will to win that competition. That was why I asked Caelan to help me with this. Of course, the guy happily accepted, being the good guy he is.

    The original plan was to take a running tour from the forest¡¯s entrance to the other side and return. Caelan will go along as my bodyguard in case something happen. However, the guy himself said that he needed some training as well for the upcoming finals, so we threw in the ¡°get chased by man-eating demonic hyenas¡± part to our plan. Caelan also proposed the idea of coating me in this world¡¯s equivalent of peanut butter to ¡°attract more hyenas¡±. Obviously, I rejected the plan, since we want to attract man-eating demon hyenas, not man-sized ants. We finally settled with running straight through the hyenas¡¯ nests and let them tail us behind. The rest is now history.

    ¡°Still, with how things look, I think we¡¯re gonna run out of hyenas soon.¡±

    I tell Caelan my worry as he keeps doing push up by himself.

    ¡°Well, we still have demonic boars, demonic bears, demonic bees¡­¡±

    ¡°I think I¡¯ll go with demonic hyenas for now.¡±

    Until I have more bullets in my disposal, let¡¯s not upping the ante for now.

    ¡°Well, enough rest, time for another run.¡±

    However, before we can begin, from the direction of the castle, there is a girl walking toward us. Her red long hair makes her pretty noticeable under the sunlight. The two of us can only look at Deborah who¡¯s closing the distance in between.

    ¡°You two got guts ditching the morning classes like that. I hope you guys are prepared to face Bjarni¡¯s wrath.¡±

    ¡°Well, I haven¡¯t got a novel of my liking to kill time in class yet.¡±

    I answer. Deborah looks grouchy, her eyes look pissed just like always. Well, it is better than that pitiful look of hers. A mad girl is always easier to deal with than a sad girl. That being said, it¡¯s only my opinion, some may say otherwise.

    ¡°Care to lend me some of yours, Miss Perfect Student?¡±

    ¡°Go find your own books to read.¡±

    Says Deborah.

    ¡°Good morning to you too, Deborah.¡±

    As Caelan finishes his push-ups, the guy stands up drenched in sweat and speaks. I guess from the guy¡¯s perspective, a conversation like this may as well be a ¡°Good morning¡± in Deborah¡¯s dictionary.

    ¡°It¡¯s noon, Caelan. And it¡¯s already lunchtime.¡±

    I look to Deborah as if asking whether or not she brought us lunch, but with a glare from Deborah and the sight of her empty bare hands, I guess that¡¯s a no.

    ¡°What? It¡¯s lunchtime already? No wonder I feel hungry!¡±

    Caelan rubs his belly. Dude, please try to connect the dots yourself sometime.

    ¡°Geez. Seriously, you two make my life more miserable by days.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think we are that great of a contributor, though.¡±

    ¡°No, believe me, you two are. Especially you.¡±

    Deborah cracks a smile, with her fists ready as if they want to crack something as well. Geez, can¡¯t the girl get a joke or something?

    ¡°So, what¡¯s your business here? If you don¡¯t have any, then please leave us, we have manly training to do. No girls allowed.¡±

    ¡°No girls allowed!¡±

    Caelan shouts after I finish my sentence. Deborah only gives me a glare and a smile before she answers.

    ¡°I guess I can feel at ease from now on.¡±

    Hey hey, please tell me that¡¯s just a joke.

    While the mood right now is pretty casual, it becomes tense again with the next glare Deborah gives me. Then, the girl opens her mouth and states her business.

    ¡°So, with this training of yours, that would mean you¡¯ll choose to enter?¡±

    ¡°Yes, and?¡±

    Deborah sighs.

    ¡°What good would come from training to run?¡±

    ¡°The correct term is tactical retreat, and it has a lot of benefits. You may think this is stupid, but doing this is better than heading to a fight unprepared.¡±

    She may have a point, it seems really stupid training to run at this point. But for a human like me, running and retaliating are the best I can do right now. It¡¯s how I fight, even though I rarely fight. My physical power can¡¯t move mountains nor tear the sea apart. I need to gain everything I could within this short time frame in order to rise my odds at winning, be it knowledge or physical prowess.

    ¡°It¡¯s more stupid to get in a fight in the first place.¡±

    Says Deborah. She rubs her temples with her hand in order to cope with this situation.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you before ? I don¡¯t pick fights I can¡¯t win.¡±

    I proudly answer.

    ¡°But you didn¡¯t exactly ¡°pick¡± this fight, it was shoved into you by the Headmaster herself. And you obeyed her words yet again like the good boy you are.¡±

    ¡°To follow and to obey are two different things. I chose to follow her order because I have no other choice. My school life is at risk here, and I won¡¯t just stand by and watch it ends.¡±

    Deborah sighs, again.

    ¡°You¡¯re just trying to justify yourself for doing stupid things.¡±

    ¡°Then what would you want me to do? Walk away like a coward? Come to think of it, you love cowards, don¡¯t you. Well it¡¯s too bad I¡¯m not one!¡±

    I shout. We get ourselves in another glaring battle again. This girl, why can¡¯t she understand that there are fights that simply can¡¯t be avoided? And this fight is one of them.

    ¡°Either you help me get through this, or just walk away and let me do my thing.¡±

    I reply. Deborah¡¯s stare weakens as she averts her eyes. An awkward silence soon follows, with Caelan standing outside staring at both of us. As I intend to break the silence by saying something witty, Deborah suddenly breaks it herself by announcing something I haven¡¯t expected.

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll help you then. That¡¯s what I intended to do when I come here anyway.¡±

    If you¡¯re gonna do that then why did you bother to start a fight the moment you came here?

    ¡°Wow, you¡¯re being helpful for once.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m always helpful to others! But you are the last person I want to help!¡±

    I¡¯m not buying that, except maybe the last bit, but I¡¯m totally not buying the ¡°helpful to others¡± part.

    ¡°Fine fine. I am honored to be helped by you, my lady.¡±

    ¡°If you really feel honored then quickly fix that stuck up attitude of yours.¡±

    As our mandatory daily verbal fight ends, the guy standing outside gives out his brightest smile as he approaches Deborah.

    ¡°So the day to see you in action has finally came, heh?¡±

    ¡°Keep dreaming, Caelan. The Master isn¡¯t the main point of the Familiar competition anyway.¡±

    After Deborah¡¯s done explaining, she turns her gaze toward my direction to continue her lecture.

    ¡°As you have already known, the Familiar competition is a competition between Familiars only. But the Master can also play a part to support their familiar. So, I¡¯ll try my best to help you survive yet another stupid situation you got into.¡±

    Says Deborah. However, I haven¡¯t give out my answer yet, up until ten seconds pass.

    ¡°Sorry, I failed to find a witty way to say thank you.¡±

    ¡°Then don¡¯t waste time!¡±

    Deborah shouts, again. She rubs her temples to ease her headache. Have I become better at making people go crazy for me, in a bad way?

    ¡°So, what is it you¡¯re gonna do?¡±

    ¡°Well, the Master can help by using spells on their Familiar to support them. Usually we can use healing spells, but there are others that can prove useful as well.¡±

    That means she¡¯ll act as my buff caster?

    ¡°Then, what sort of spell you would use to help me?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m thinking about¡­speed enhancement.¡±

    In other words, agility buff? Sounds great.

    ¡°Just speed ?¡±

    I ask.

    ¡°There are other types, but I guess speed would fit you the most.¡±

    Let¡¯s hope she doesn¡¯t have any deeper meaning with that.

    ¡°You have a point. Akuma is very good with his legs. You should see how he ran away from the dangerous beasts!¡±

    Caelan comments. As he ran behind me for three days already, it¡¯s understandable that he would think like that.

    ¡°Okay okay, just do what you want before someone points out I have the natural talent to be a coward.¡±

    Deborah giggles. I have a feeling that if I didn¡¯t interject back there, then she¡¯ll tell it straight out right away.

    ¡°Now, I will perform the spell. Stand still for a moment.¡±

    As Deborah says her lines, she holds her right arm toward me and opens her palm. Her lips starts chanting the magic words. The light around me brightens, and I can feel a gust of wind gathering around my legs. It¡¯s just for special effect, though, because I don¡¯t feel the wind itself enters my legs. All of this cool magic effect end as Deborah finishes her chanting.

    She doesn¡¯t say anything, but I have the feeling that she would tell me to make some moves. Trusting my guts, I begin to do some movement with my legs to test out the spell¡¯s effect.

    Surprisingly, as I lightly push the ground with my right feet, it suddenly shoots me out of the ground. With a quick glance, I measured that I just jump two meters above the ground from my original position.

    ¡°Woo hooo!¡±

    I yell like a kid. This is like having a superpower. Magic is awesome!

    This time, I try running around the yard we¡¯re in. My legs move faster than my eyes can catch up as I run five laps around this yard in thirty seconds. I won¡¯t dare to say I have speed comparable to the Flash himself, but it¡¯s still a close second.

    ¡°Awesome!¡±

    I yell yet again.

    ¡°It¡¯s rare to see you this excited.¡±

    ¡°Anyone would be excited if they¡¯re in my shoes right now!¡±

    I answer Deborah. She just shakes her head with a smile on her face.

    ¡°Awesome speed, Akuma. I bet you can run a lap across this forest in five minutes.¡±

    ¡°Sounds good. Akuma, as a test, how about you run a lap around the forest and return here?¡±

    After Caelan finished his comments, Deborah interjects in with a proposal for a test, or should I say, a challenge. Fine by me, I want to test the limit of this spell as well. Of course, I nod and give her my answer.

    ¡°Five minutes? Just you wait and see!¡±

    As I¡¯m done boasting, with the legs as fast as the wind, I run into the forest, aiming toward its end to compete in this challenge.

    ----------------------------

    ¡°And so he¡¯s gone.¡±

    Says Caelan as his friend ran out of sight, literally as fast as the wind. The guy seems excited as well, he keeps tossing his weapons up to the sky and catches them as they fall to kill time as he wait for his friend¡¯s return.

    ¡°When do you think he¡¯ll be back, Deborah?¡±

    However, the girl standing nearby, Deborah, isn¡¯t as relaxed as he is. It¡¯s the opposite, actually, as the friendly smile she has earlier has already disappeared and replaced by a stern and serious face.

    ¡°He won¡¯t return.¡±

    The girl answers.

    ¡°Hmm ?¡±

    ¡°Or should I say, he won¡¯t be able to make it back here.¡±

    The weapons thrown for fun fall to the ground, giving out a big clank as they make contact. Their owner fails to catch them since he¡¯s still in shock from what he just heard.

    ¡°What do you mean by that¡­?¡±

    A drop of sweat runs down Caelan¡¯s cheek as he asks his question.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to the forest to pick him up. Let us hurry, before something happens that will make me regret for the rest of my life.¡±

 Chapter 17: A fall of body and will

    Human envy the flying bird, so they created planes. Human envy the running cheetah, so they created vehicles. But even when they are capable of simulating the ability of a bird or a cheetah, they will never be able to capture the feelings of a flying bird or a running cheetah may feel.

    I realize that as I run through the forest with my enchanted legs. The feeling of the wind pushing my face. The feeling of the lack of gravity as they no longer bind me back. As I jump and run, my hunch tells me that this is true freedom, without any limitation to chain me down.

    The beasts I run past don¡¯t even know what just passed by. Some beasts that do pursue the unidentified flying person give up midway when they realize they can¡¯t catch up. For a moment, I feel invincible. Nothing can stop me in my path.

    Except trees. Those damn trees.

    My speed and jumping power are boosted up to eleven. However, my sense of control is still the same like a normal human, and a mere human is not fully capable of controlling themselves when running as my current speed. If I¡¯m not careful during my run, I may find myself bumped into a tree. And since real world physics still apply here, the ensuring result will NOT be pretty.

    But no matter, as long as I be careful and watch out for those trees. I¡¯ll be fine. Well, time to finish the race!

    BOOM!

    Suddenly, a large thunderbolt falls from the sky, making a nearby land far away from my position explode from the impact. A strong gust of wind flows by after the explosion is over. Normally, one would think this is a terrorist bombing when something like this happen. But since this isn¡¯t my normal world, only god knows what is happening right now.

    With my current speed, I turn back and run toward the direction of the explosion. The path leads me to a lake in the middle of the forest. Before my eyes, a small part near the lake is charred by the previous thunderbolt. Thankfully there¡¯s no fire coming out of the explosion. It will be bothersome if there¡¯s a wildfire in the forest.

    At the site near the explosion, I see a girl standing opposite of three male students. Those three are holding their hands out to the sky, projecting a magic barrier to protect themselves from the blast. It isn¡¯t hard to connect the dots together.

    They are saying something. As I approach closer, their conversation becomes clearer to my ears, and so are their identities. The girl is Amadia Deveraux. And those three guys? They are the ones who were bugging her in the infirmary the day after Amadia¡¯s defeat. They look like your typical nameless delinquents, so of course, I have no knowledge on their name and everything else. Not like I would bother enough to remember even if they introduced themselves.

    ¡°Fascinating. If I didn¡¯t know better, I would have thought that spell was the famed ¡¸Thunder God¡¹.¡±

    The bunch¡¯s leader speak. All three lower their hands, and their barrier disappears afterward. Amadia¡¯s expression becomes more tense. The girl bites her lips, while her hand is still pointing toward the three guys, preparing for another attack. However, it seems like her attack will have to wait for a while.

    ¡°Go back to where you came from. Don¡¯t test my patience.¡±

    Her sharp tongue and intimidating gesture are a stark contrast to the timid girl I saw that day. With her lightning-filled hand, seems like Amadia is totally serious with her words.

    ¡°Come on. Don¡¯t be so harsh. We have repented. Let bygones be bygones and return to how it used to be.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s become a team together again. You should feel honored to be invited by us!¡±

    Says the two lackeys. Despite being threatened, they show no slightest hint of fear, despite having an obvious reason to. And it would seem like Amadia herself also noticed this, and she intends to bring that fear back to them by attacking again, namely shooting lightning bolts out of her hand. The two lackeys don¡¯t even bother to dodge her attack and hold their position. They get hit, yes, but despite their shaking hands from the shock of the bolts, they prevail over the fear and pain and stand their ground. Amadia is understandably shocked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t remember you two being this strong¡­¡±

    Amadia mumbles.

    ¡°Haha. She finally remembered us, heh?¡±

    One of the guy chuckles. His hands stop shaking when the aftershock from the attack is over.

    ¡°That hurts, damn it! Hey, young master, she refused. What now?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s simple. We explain the situation to her. She¡¯ll understand when we¡¯re done.¡±

    Amadia looks slightly angry as her ears catch words from the leader guy. She shouts out loud.

    ¡°No matter what you say, I would never join you again! Go find someone else to be your party member, and leave me alone!¡±

    The two lackeys look pissed. They slowly walk toward Amadia as they speak.

    ¡°I¡¯m tired of this bitch, young master. We don¡¯t exactly need her for our cause, right?¡±

    From their cuff, the two lackeys each draw out a shiny knife with the size of a shortsword. Despite their armband indicating they are members of the Magic Art department, the way they hold their knife suggests that they are proficient in knife-fighting, contrasting with their wizardry appearance.

    ¡°Stand down, both of you! I won¡¯t permit you two harming her!¡±

    Despite their leader¡¯s order, the two lackeys lunge toward Amadia, only seconds away from being within knife range. The way they approach the girl looks awfully familiar to the two hyenas that attacked me earlier during my run, but this is a highly coordinated attack, something mere beasts can¡¯t hope to achieve. A pincer attack from both side. Amadia can¡¯t take out the two of them at once with their speed. If she goes for one, the other will strike her down, and both of them don¡¯t seem to hesitate to get themselves hit just so they can connect their attack. This won¡¯t end well for her.

    My instinct tells me this is the time for me to step in. With the vigor of a cheetah, I lunge toward the battleground with all my might. As Amadia gets into her attack stance, I jump in front of her and surprise the girl in the process. However, the problem hasn¡¯t been dealt with, as the two guys with knife are still attacking. This require the help from my trusted Beretta 92FS. I take out my gun, and give out two shot at the ground in front of them as a warning.

    Suprisingly, they do stop when I begin aiming my black gun to their face. Slowly, the two step back, yet they haven¡¯t retreat to their leader. It seems like the stunt I pulled at Amadia¡¯s fight and the charade afterward has finally produced its intended result. The two of them are aware of the strange magic I wield, and decide not rash things in my presence.

    ¡°Akuma¡­!¡±

    Amadia speaks in surprise. As much as I want her to thank me, I feel saddened to know what she will inevitably say next.

    ¡°I can deal with them on my own!¡±

    ¡°A thank you would be fine, you know?¡±

    I answer, with a smile of course. This is just like a TV show about heroes. A dashing, charming young hero saving the heroine in need of help. Well, I don¡¯t think Amadia is heroine material, but being a hero does feel good.

    ¡°You two, stand back! We¡¯re not here to fight.¡±

    As we continue our comedic chatter, the leader dude announces his order. The two knife-wielders obey and retreat to the side of their master.

    ¡°Fancy meeting you here, Akuma.¡±

    Says the guy.

    ¡°For you, anyway. I would prefer the three of you to stay as nameless background characters to the end of time.¡±

    The three of them look confused as expected.

    ¡°You say the strangest things.¡±

    ¡°I get that all the time.¡±

    The guy chuckles. He seems amused. If he is glad I¡¯m here to stop his lackeys, he should be more honest.

    ¡°So what¡¯s the deal between all of you anyway? How about we resolve all this shit without anyone dying?¡±

    ¡°Finally, someone who speaks my language.¡±

    As the leader guy answers my question, he stares at his unruly lackeys like an owner looking down at his naughty dogs.

    ¡°We¡¯re here today because we want to recruit Amadia to join our cause.¡±

    ¡°And that cause is?¡±

    I ask the guy.

    ¡°To seek glory, fame and fortune!¡±

    Glory, fame, fortune. Color me interested.

    ¡°Explain further.¡±

    I lower my gun and put it back to my pocket. With this act of mine, the leader guy steps up and walks closer to me and Amadia as he begins his explanation.

    ¡°I will give you two a divination: On the start of the new year, the Dark Line will collapse, the humans will once again swarm this land like a horde of locusts, and a new war will come following their wake.¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    The Dark Line, a defense line that was used to hold the army of the Nine Kingdoms Alliance at bay. A sturdy frontier that hasn¡¯t been breached for ten years straight. And this guy says it will collapse in a matter of weeks.

    ¡°On what basis that you think it will happen just as you predicted?¡±

    I voice my concern.

    ¡°Of course, if it has facts to back it up, it wouldn¡¯t be called a divination, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±

    He has a point, though. That doesn¡¯t mean I can simply trust the guy¡¯s words at face value.

    ¡°Assuming what you said is right, how can mere cadets like us gain fame, glory and fortune from a war?¡±

    ¡°The Party system.¡±

    Suddenly, Amadia speaks out after I asked my question.

    ¡°It¡¯s a system that pairs the cadets from the 2nd and 3rd year into small special squads. They will take on various missions to help the war efforts. They will be rewarded financially for their services, and the more accomplished they are, the more fame they gain.¡±

    Doesn¡¯t that sound like how an adventure guild works? An adventurer takes on missions, and gains rewards and fame for doing so? I guess they are the same, except this one¡¯s scale is larger and just a fancy way of conscripting people into soldiers.

    ¡°Then why Amadia?¡±

    ¡°The cadets are free to pick their team and partners. We simply want to pick the best for ours, and Amadia fits the bill.¡±

    Well, she was notorious enough to catch his attention in the first place, so it¡¯s nothing hard to guess. One may say she got into this situation because of her past actions. Oh, karma, you are such a bitch.

    ¡°But that¡¯s the system for the 2nd and 3rd year only. Not until next Summer that we become 2nd year cadets. Making a team at this moment is way too unnatural.¡±

    Amadia continues her defense.

    ¡°You¡¯re too na?ve, Amadia. Do you think the school administration will let the 1st years stand and watch as the whole Demon Realm is in danger? No, when the Dark Line inevitably collapses, even we 1st years will get drafted to fight on the frontline alongside with others. We have to prepare ourselves as much as we can before that very moment!¡±

    Hmm. The guy does have a point. Knowing the Headmaster, she will make use of any manpower she has if such situation occurs, including sending the first years out. However¡­

    ¡°You¡¯re right. It¡¯s better to be prepare at this moment. However, that is assuming what you said is true. But do you really expect us to trust a simple divination of yours?¡±

    I shout.

    ¡°Of course not, I don¡¯t exactly need you to believe my words.¡±

    As the guy says his part, he gives Amadia a quick glance. Right, she is their target all along. This is quite a pickle I got myself into. Say the wrong words, and I will find myself getting caught to another unnecessary fight.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Akuma. I will deal with this.¡±

    Before I can come up with a solution, Amadia suddenly walks past me and stands in the opposite of the leader guy.

    ¡°You¡¯re right about one thing: I do seek fame, glory and fortune. However, they are not my end goal, and absolutely not what I am aiming for. For me, they are the tools I need in order to achieve my true goal. If merely seeking them is your goal, that would mean we do not share the same cause after all. I¡¯m sorry, but I won¡¯t join your team. I will find my own team to make my dream comes true.¡±

    Rejected, the leader guy just smiles to cope with his rejection. The other two don¡¯t look too tense, surprisingly, like they never expected this to work to begin with.

    ¡°So, a no is a no after all. What a shame.¡±

    The guy chuckles. He takes off his wizard hat for a moment, like how an gentlemen would do to say goodbye back in the old eras.

    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. I hope that you can make your dream come true, Amadia.¡±

    ¡°Thank you¡­Naranath.¡±

    Amadia answers. There is a shed of sympathy lies hidden in her voice.

    ¡°You finally remember my name.¡±

    The guy chuckles yet again. His two lackey turn their back to us, as they prepare to take their leave along with their leader. However, he still have some lines left, for me.

    ¡°I heard that you¡¯re going to enter the Familiar competition. Is it true, Akuma?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    I answer. News sure travel fast, though, even that guy knows.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s hope we won¡¯t meet each other in that competition. Farewell¡±

    As the guy finishes with his warning, he takes his leave together with his lackeys. The forest returns to the silence it once has before this charade happened. Only me and Amadia remain. The atmosphere seems tense. I can¡¯t find any words to say, and I guess the same is true on her part. Amadia walks toward the lake and just silently stands there, watching the scenery without saying anything.

    ¡°I guess being Miss Popular is tough.¡±

    My attempt to break the silence only makes the atmosphere more awkward as Amadia doesn¡¯t response. She just keeps staring at the lake up until a minute later.

    ¡°Naranath was the first person I beat when I got to this academy.¡±

    That guy? He seems weak alright.

    ¡°He¡¯s a former noble whose family got striped off their name, ranks and statuses for the crime of treason. Naranath is the only remaining member of that clan. So, I guess he seeks to rebuild his clan by obtaining glory, fame and fortune, like what he said before.¡±

    ¡°And he intends to do that by using you.¡±

    My words once again make the girl fall silent for half a minute.

    ¡°I know that. But he was the first friend I made. He was the one who helped gathered my followers. Following my defeat, seeing him like this, I guess those people had already left him since I¡¯m no longer in charge to be the pillar binding them together. In a way, I pity him.¡±

    So what goes around comes around. Typical karma.

    ¡°You¡¯re an idiot, you know that?¡±

    Nothing good would come from pitying people like that. The more mercy you give, the more chances they get to bite you in the back one day. It¡¯s uncourteous to outright tell a girl she¡¯s an idiot, but sugarcoating the truth won¡¯t help anyone.

    ¡°Yes¡­I was an idiot. I was too blind back then to see my stupidity. But thanks to you, I know how much of a fool I was, and to know that there¡¯s still a chance for me to repent myself.¡±

    Amadia smiles.

    ¡°I think I own you my grati¡­Akuma? What¡¯s wrong!?¡±

    Suddenly, I feel like the sky turns upside down. But the pain in my head as I fall down to the ground indicate that it was just me falling. I feel¡­empty. But that is just the calm before the storm.

    From my legs, I feel a tremendous and continuous pain. It¡¯s like the pain of having your flesh pierced by a thousand needles. But that is not the pain from the outside, it comes from the inside of my muscles. I feel like my leg muscles are dying and on the verge of exploding like a timed bomb. The girl in front of me looks rightfully confused as she tries to give me some healing magic. However, no amount of magic can help ease the pain in my legs. I feel like screaming, but I think I have already did that countless times, and I just simply couldn¡¯t hear them due to the pain clouding my mind and my ears.

    My eyes slowly close as I try to cope with the pain. However, before I completely pass out, I see the shadow of two person running toward me. I fail to identify those two, but a simple hunch tells me that I know who they are¡­as I fall to darkness.

    --------------------------

    My sleep is long, like I was in an eternal slumber. But that eternity quickly ends as I open my eyes from the light outside. Before I know it, I am in my room once again. I¡¯m lying on my bed, under the blanket and is wearing fresh clothes.

    ¡°Enjoying your sleep?¡±

    I turn my head to the direction of the voice. It comes from Deborah, who¡¯s sitting on a wooden chair near her study desk, still in her student attire. On my desk nearby, the equipment and items I have are already laid out on the table, including my gun.

    ¡°What¡­happened¡­?¡±

    ¡°You collapsed. Thankfully, Caelan and I were nearby, so I had Caelan brought you back to the school for treatment. You had been unconscious for two days.¡±

    Deborah explains. Her reaction doesn¡¯t seem to be different than her usual self.

    ¡°Two days¡­¡±

    So much time passed, and I wasted them by sleeping comfortably on my bed.

    My body is still heavy, so I can¡¯t bring myself out of the bed to have a proper conversation. Though I guess Deborah is fine with having a conversation this way. But that is not what I should worry about right now.

    ¡°Why¡­did that¡­happen¡­?¡±

    Deborah doesn¡¯t answer. She stands up and keeps her face away from my sight¡­like she felt guilty or something.

    ¡°Your leg muscles were overworked. They got pushed far past their limits due to the effect of the enhancement magic. The pain you felt¡­it was because of the after effect from overworking your leg muscles when the enhancement ended. The school¡¯s medical staffs can patch you up and heal your wounds, but prolong use of this spell and you can kiss your legs goodbyes.¡±

    So, this was because of that magic of her. And yet¡­why¡­?

    ¡°Why did you¡­use it on me despite knowing¡­what would happen?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Deborah falls silent from the guilt.

    ¡°You knew it from the start, right? With your current power, you won¡¯t stand a chance against the beasts summoned by other mages. Running away is one thing, but fighting those familiars is inevitable. That was why you didn¡¯t have any doubt when I came to offer you help. So, you want power, I gave you that power, and you paid the cost that came with that power. I simply made it clear about the consequences should you still want to fight.¡±

    Finally, the girl turns back to my direction and meet me face to face as she speaks.

    ¡°Enhancement spells were designed to support seasoned warriors to achieve new heights in fighting. But even they couldn¡¯t withstand the effect of these spells despite the benefits they gave. If you want to enter that competition, you will need power equal or more than those warriors to even stand a chance at surviving. Yet¡­do you really think you would reach that height in the span of three weeks? With how weak you are, you¡¯re going to do nothing but senselessly throwing your life away in there!¡±

    What does she knows about the struggles of the weak? When you are as powerful as her, all you can see in your eyes are fights that have been decided from the start by the differences in power. Does she not know of efforts, determination and the strength of will? Foolish, stupid girl!

    ¡°Can you think of¡­anything other than¡­power!?¡±

    I try to bring my body up. Yet in my current state, all of my efforts are rendered null as the remainin strength I have rapidly leave my body. Deborah can only watch as I once again attempt to prove she is wrong in this pitiful state of mine.

    ¡°Someone like you¡­what do you know about¡­the powerless¡­?¡±

    Power, power, power¡­enough of that bullshit!

    ¡°I do not know. But I can understand.¡±

    ¡°Liar!!!¡±

    I shout out loud. I will listen to her bullshit no more!

    ¡°What do you know about being¡­weak? Unable to change the bad things¡­that happened in your life. Feeling pitiful of yourself¡­as if you accepted that it was your fate to be this¡­.pitiful! What do you know about that!?¡±

    Suddenly, as I shout, I fall to the ground when I attempt to stand up again. Deborah gives out a worried look, and she understandably comes closer to try and help me.

    ¡°Stand back¡­!¡±

    I wave my hand around trying to stop Deborah from giving me a helping hand. I guess my stubbornness will be the end of me one day. However, today is not that day. I will prevail, and I will stand up again, no matter how many I fall. This will not be the day I lay on the ground and weep for my pitiful life!

    ¡°You¡­¡±

    Deborah mumbles. She looks rightfully distressed.

    With all of my remaining strength, and the help of the desk nearby, I bring my battered legs up to stand again. The pain from the old wounds still torments me as I try to defy my physical state, but will that stop me? No, pain is the least thing I would worry about.

    ¡°See¡­for yourself!¡±

    My panting breath may kill what little coolness I have, but I felt like a badass as I stand tall and declare my will to the girl in front of me.

    ¡°I know¡­that you¡¯re trying to do this¡­because you want to help me. I know that you¡­have another alternative¡­an alternative that could help me get through this alive¡­But, it will be something you know full well I will¡­never choose to do. So you resorted to do this in order to make me¡­change my mind, by breaking my will¡­and give me a rope to climb up when I am at my weakest...But¡­!¡±

    Deborah keeps her silent as I try to keep myself from falling apart.

    ¡°Screw you! And screw your plan! I will do things the way I want!¡±

    ¡°Do you really want to die that much!?¡±

    Seems like she can¡¯t hold her cool anymore, Deborah began to shout.

    ¡°Living like a coward¡­is no better than being dead.¡±

    Even though I would like to continue my bravado a little bit longer, but at this moment, my coolness meter goes rock bottom as my strength fails me and I fall to the ground, again. And this fall finally put me back to my sleep. But those words I said¡­will forever etched in my heart. And I also hope it reached hers at well.

 Chapter 18: An intersession with the trusted confidants

    The library usually isn''t a crowded place, since only mages with an interest in magic knowledge hang around here, but today however is an exception. Today, the library is full of people left and right, including those who don''t normally come. This is all because of the upcoming finals. The final tests right before the long awaited New Year break. After the tests, students will get a chance to visit their home for a full month to enjoy the New Year with their family. Since failure results to staying back for make-up tests, who wouldn''t want to study hard for a chance of reuniting with their loved ones?

    As expected, with how packed the library is, it''s hard to search for a place to sit when most of the chairs available have already been taken thanks to the "First come, first served" rule. However, in the corner of the library, near an opened window, there are still several empty seats lying around, except one occupied by a lonely girl who''s quietly reading her book in the corner. The girl has long, crimson red hair flown down to her waist. She is a beauty, yet no one dare to approach her due to unknown reasons. No one, except another girl who''s walking toward the red girl.

    "Can I sit here?"

    "You don''t need to ask me for permission, Iola."

    "Just for courtesy''s sake."

    The girl with grey twin braids lets out a smile. She puts her books onto the table and leisurely takes a seat in the opposite of the red girl.

    "It''s been a while since the last time I saw you in the library, Deborah. Are you here to study for the finals¡­"

    Iola takes a glance at the book Deborah is reading.

    "¡­Or just reading random books again to kill time? Hmm¡­A spell book? That part¡­what do you need the ¡¸Body Armor¡¹ spell for?"

    "Oh, just shut up and mind your business."

    Deborah grumpily replies. The girl with twin braids'' only reaction is a small giggle. She decides to obey the words of Deborah and begins to mind her business, namely studying for the semester''s finals.

    A cold breeze flows by. Winter has already came, yet aside from blowing away leaves from the trees, the snow has yet to make its appearance. The library is packed, but it''s still a pretty quiet place. The students'' silent whispers pale in front of the sound made by the wind. The rattling windows, the flipping pages. Just another peaceful, ordinary day at Melas Academy.

    "Come to think of it, the first time we met was a day just like today, at this very same place."

    "Hmm?"

    Deborah averts her attention from the book to Iola''s saddened face.

    "It''s just four months, yet I feel like a year has passed already."

    "What''s with the sudden burst of nostalgia?"

    Deborah asks.

    "Hehe. It''s because of how familiar this situation is."

    Iola gives out a faint smile on her face.

    "I''m glad I asked you for a seat that day."

    "¡­"

    Deborah keeps gazing at the girl, without giving out any words to reply. Or rather, one can say she couldn''t find any words to give back to the girl.

    "It''s just four months, but you have already changed a lot. You used to be¡­colder, more apathetic. You didn''t seem to care for anything in the world around you. If I didn''t know better, I would have thought you were a walking corpse. Well, but that has changed, hasn''t it?"

    "¡­I was like that before?"

    Deborah averts her gaze to the outside for a second, before resuming her conversation with Iola.

    "Yes¡­You''ve changed a lot, in a better way. Personally, I prefer this current you than the "you" four months ago."

    "¡­"

    Still keeping a smile on her face, Iola continues.

    "I think Akuma''s appearance has been a good influence on you."

    "¡­So it all comes down to him again."

    Deborah''s glare sharpens, still, Iola shows no fear, but not after taking a gulp in surprise from Deborah''s sudden glare.

    "I heard the story from Caelan, about that day."

    With a stern look, Iola speaks.

    "While indeed you have changed for the better, what you pulled that day...the thing you did to Akuma¡­was very cruel, if I have to be blunt."

    "Cruel, but it''s something that I have to do."

    Deborah answers. There is no hesitation in her voice. She knew what she must do, and did it anyway.

    "For what purpose? To help him through breaking his spirit and his body? Cruel isn''t a strong enough word if that is indeed your purpose."

    "I don''t need other''s opinions on how I train my pet."

    Iola bites her lips.

    "He may be your familiar, but he''s not your pet! He''s a living being with feelings and thoughts just like us!"

    Iola stands up and slams her hands on the wooden table as she shouts. However, since this is a library, her rash move is met with silent glares from others around. Iola realizes her mistake, and quietly returns to her seat as she waits for Deborah''s answer.

    "Why do you have to get so worked up about someone like him? Do you love him or something?"

    Says Deborah. Iola gives out no noticeable reaction when she speaks.

    "I have no such feelings. However, I owe him my gratitude."

    "Gratitude for what?"

    As Deborah tries to search for anything inside her head that can answer Iola''s question, the girl just puts another smile on her face when she finally replies.

    "For changing you."

    "What¡­?"

    "You didn''t notice? You have slowly changed ever since that guy appeared. You''ve become more¡­lively, especially when he''s around."

    "He just gets me on my nerves, that''s all. Stop giving him so much credits!"

    Deborah grumpily speaks, and is met with another smile from Iola as her reaction.

    "I like this current you. And as I said before, I owe him my thanks for that. The best I can do is to prevent you from hurting him anymore. I fear that if you continue to go down this path, you''ll eventually revert back to the walking corpse I met four months ago at this very place¡­"

    The red girl is deep in silence. The girl with twin braids also stop talking as she awaits the answer from the girl in front of her.

    Another cold breeze flows by.

    "I wouldn''t do that if I don''t have to¡­"

    Says Deborah. There is a bit of guilt in her eyes as she continues.

    "That guy. He''s very stubborn, and he seems to distrust of me. I want to help him as his Master, but I have to resort to extreme methods in order to do accomplish that goal. He''s a glory hound, but what good would come from glory when you''re dead? He''s foolish, so foolish¡­"

    "Oh here we go again. You and that bad habit of yours."

    "Bad habit?"

    Deborah asks in confusion after Iola says her words.

    "You always think you know people from inside out like a book just when you scratch the surface, when it''s actually the opposite. And just as you think you know everything about people, you then go on your own and do things you thought that will help people, without knowing what they want nor telling them what you''re going to do. A very bad habit."

    "I do¡­?"

    "Yes, you do."

    Iola firmly speaks.

    "You said Akuma is distrust of you, but isn''t you yourself are distrust of him as well? You always assume he''s going to disagree with everything you said just because your guts tells you he will, then you go on and do things that hurt him because you thought it''s something that you have to do. Isn''t that what people called distrust?"

    "But¡­"

    "No buts! Stop being so subjective! It doesn''t hurt to believe in people sometimes."

    Can''t find a clear answer to talk back, Deborah just stares at Iola in silence. The following gaze from Iola just makes this whole situation more awkward for both. Finally, after several seconds, Deborah decides to break the silence herself.

    "You''re so preachy today. It''s unlike you."

    "Trust me, I don''t want to be like this as well. But for the people I care about, this is the least I can do to help them, even if it looks like a slap in the face with words. Changes are good, but I don''t want to fix what isn''t broken. The current you, the current Deborah, is the Deborah I like best, and I would hate to see you descend into someone, no, something¡­I will dread."

    Deborah closes her eyes as she lets Iola''s words reach her heart. Slowly, she closes the book she is reading. Deborah stands up, but she hasn''t leave just yet.

    "I will¡­think about what you said."

    Deborah doesn''t look into Iola''s eyes, and neither does the other girl. As Deborah bids her goodbye, she leaves with the book on her hand. Only Iola remains in her seat in order to do what she originally came here for.

    The windows rattle when another wind flows by.

    ------------------------------

    Today is just another ordinary day like always. People continuing their lives, full of joy, full of sadness, full of goals and dreams. Just your ordinary day to study and working.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    But today, for me, is a slightly less ordinary day in my life. It''s because I get a chance to visit the Student Council''s meeting room, with an invitation from the student council president herself.

    "We''re here."

    As my thoughts run wild like that, the weight of the white documents on my hands brings me back from my romanticized vision to the harsh reality in front of me. It''s nothing big in reality. I was asked for help from Kardia to bring some documents to the student council meeting room. This place is located near the center of the castle and is a pretty quiet place. Since people rarely pass by, I guess this makes it an ideal place to handle the management of the academy''s students.

    "Please make yourself at home."

    Kardia opens the door and comes inside. However, I stop myself before I enter the room. In front of my eyes is darkness. This room is filled with darkness, which makes it feel a little eerie, like a ghost room you see in scary movies. Let''s just hope someone simply forgot to open the windows.

    "Oh. I''m sorry. I forgot to turn on the lights. It''s the first time someone other than me comes to this room, so¡­"

    The first time? Someone other than her? Isn''t this the student council''s meeting room? Then what is the problem?

    The crystal lights are ignited when Kardia activates the switch. Light fills the room, pushing away the darkness. I begin to take another look at the room. Rather than your typical meeting room, this room is filled with trinkets and oddities, but rather than strange stuff like the school''s shop, this looks more like an old witch''s room with peculiar hexes and the likes, but since Kardia is a practitioner of alchemy, I guess it''s more like an alchemist''s workshop? Black curtains have covered all the closed windows. The only saving grace of this room is how neat and orderly Kardia arranged her stuff, which adds some kind of mysterious charm to this place.

    "Are you sure we''re in the right room, Kardia?"

    "Yes. This is it, the meeting room for the Student Council."

    "Then why does it look like the room of an evil witch?"

    I enter the room and put the documents onto her desk. Her desk is neat and well kept, it''s also decorated with a small vase holding several glowing white flowers. This is completely different from the mess that is the Headmaster''s office.

    "So this is how this room looks like from the view of an outsider."

    Kardia answers as she puls awayl the black curtains and opens the windows. The sunlight shines into the room, making this place a little less creepy.

    "Where are the other members?"

    I ask. When Kardia''s done opening all the windows, she turns back to me and speaks.

    "There are no one else. I am the only member of the student council."

    "Wait, what?"

    This is the first time I heard of a one woman student council.

    "It''s a long story."

    Kardia walks to a nearby counter. On the counter, there are several antiqued tea cups and a kettle. There seems to be a pot of tea leaves nearby. Kardia pour some fresh water to the kettle and heat it up with a magic circle. I guess she''s brewing tea. As she''s preparing the tea, Kardia begins to tell her tale.

    The student council was created with the purpose of giving the students some power over the management of their school life. The main purpose of the student council was to manage the war efforts contributed by the 2nd and 3rd years students. The student council used to be in charge of manpower and logistics management, supplies stockpiles and distribution, and went for rescue or escort missions if they have to...Their main job could be summed up as the backbone to support those who fight on the frontlines with whatever they could.

    However, as the war grew bigger, the role of the student council began to diminish. When their enemy brought the war back to their shores, the Academy''s cadets army got merged into the regular army and was put under their jurisdiction. Their role got smaller and smaller when their former missions were undertook by people from the main army. As time passed by, the student council''s main job was reverted into becoming errand boys and girls for the teachers. Kardia said that thanks to the current pitiful state of the student council, no one bothered to do these kind of jobs anymore. And that was how she got into this position with objections from no one. They just wanted someone to dump the chores on.

    Her tale ends at the same moment she''s done brewing the tea. As she''s pouring the tea to a teacup, I keep wandering around the room to look at the neatly arranged oddities in the shelves around the room. Some shelves were labeled as ingredients, with a bunch of small vases and bottles inside that were carefully sealed. However, despite all of them have already been labeled, they all seem nonsensical to me since I don''t know anything about those names, at least not yet.

    "Is there something that catches your interest?"

    Kardia gives me a question as she puts a tea cup onto the coffee table in the middle of the room.

    "Make it everything."

    Kardia giggles in amusement. Not wanting to make a lady wait, I take a trek back to the seats near the small coffee table, but not without taking another glance at the small glowing flowers in vase on Kardia''s desk.

    "Oh. Please be careful. It''s better that you don''t go near those flowers."

    Before I can reach the flowers, Kardia suddenly lets out a voice of concern.

    "Hmm? Why not?"

    "They are the ¡¸Spirit Calling¡¹ flowers. Their pollen may cause hallucination and other undesirable effects to the mind of living beings. They are beautiful indeed, but it''s better to just watch them from afar."

    It''s true that these glowing white flowers are beautiful as decoration, but why would she want to use something like these to decorate her working place? But then again, at this point I''m no longer surprise no matter how strange things around get. A meeting room without a shed of light. A room full of strange ingredients on the shelves. A desk decorated with flowers that cause hallucination just because they are beautiful. Seems like I got myself another bag of mystery.

    "If that is the truth then you must be pretty daring to make them decoration of your desk."

    That is like making a botanical garden from cannabis.

    "It''s okay, they don''t affect me so I have no reason to be scared of them. Anyway, your tea is cooling, you know?"

    "Oh, right."

    I put a stop to my little tour around the room and sit on a small chair opposite of Kardia. Kardia serves me some black tea in a pretty antiqued teacup, decorated with black flowers pattern. The aroma of tea quickly fills the room. I take a sip before the black tea becomes too cold to enjoy.

    "It''s good."

    And drinkable as well. Ever since that little first meal on the day I got here, I always get on my guard everytime someone here offers me something new to drink or eat. Rather than finding premium cuisines or beverages, my priority right now is to find things that are edible and drinkable for the human tounge first.

    "Really? Thank goodness. I rarely brew tea, so I''m afraid it may not fit for your taste."

    "It''s alright. I''m no expert on tea to begin with. As long as they are drinkable then any tea is fine for me."

    Beside, I''m more of a coffee person. Tea is too fancy of a drink for me to make it a hobby. Coffee is more ordinary and enjoyable in my opinion. But then again, I don''t think this world has coffee. Well, beggars can''t be choosers.

    "You didn''t make a cup for yourself?"

    I let out a voice when I notice Kardia only served one teacup for me only.

    "It''s alright. I''m contented with this."

    I can feel Kardia''s stare behind the black veil covering her face. The more time I spent with the girl, the more questions I get. Yet, I can''t mustered enough courage to go deep down and unveil the truth behind this girl. I have a feeling that it may be something I will deeply regret.

    Yes, this status quo is enough for me.

    "Is it alright for me to be here? In the student council''s meeting room?"

    "What are you saying? I would love to have someone visiting this place! The problem comes from whether or not someone even want to set foot into this place, let alone pay me a visit."

    Is this related to why she keeps her distance from people, and why people also keep their distance away from her?

    "Can I ask a question?"

    Surrendered to my curiosity, I say my thought out loud.

    "If it''s within my ability to answer, then you may ask whatever you want."

    "I see, then this question of mine may be a bit personal to you. Why do you keep your distance from people? And why do people also do the same to you?"

    "¡­"

    Kardia falls to silence after I finished asking. For some reason, I can imagine a sadden face behind her dark veil. As several seconds pass by, Kardia finally musters enough courage to answer my question.

    "It''s because¡­bad things always happen to those around me."

    "Bad things¡­?"

    "Accidents happened. People around me usually just got injured from random causes everytime I''m nearby. But that''s not the worst of it, this¡­"curse" of mine, it could get worse¡­In worst cases, it caused the death of several people just because I was in the vicinity. I would hate to see that happen again."

    A jinx, heh?

    "So, bad things will happen if I''m around you?"

    "It''s okay if you want to cut your ties with me. I will hold no grudge when you''re doing the right thing. It''s the best way¡­"

    "Blah blah blah can''t hear you can''t hear you."

    Before Kardia begins yet another pity speech, I loudly shout as I cover my ears in demonstration. Even with the veil covering her head, I can see that the girl is shocked by this sudden turn of event.

    "Come on, stop your pitiful act. I''ve been with you for several weeks and you don''t see me dying."

    Well, the thing that happened in the forest the other day was indeed life threatening, but that doesn''t count because Kardia wasn''t nearby.

    "But¡­"

    "It''s okay. Bad things have already happened to me with or without your help. I can handle it just fine."

    I take another sip then smile in triumph. Fate and the likes? They are all crap to me. Just because something bad happened when someone is around doesn''t give people the right to blame others to be the cause of what just happened. I''m not buying that crap.

    "Are you really okay with me¡­being around you?"

    "Come on, we''re friends, aren''t we? Friends don''t abandon each other."

    Another brief silence passes by as Kardia tries to find something to say. She looks down for a moment, but it only takes several seconds before the girl finds her resolve.

    "Right, we''re friends."

    I have a feeling that she''s smiling behind her veil.

    "The truth is, you are the first friend I made ever since I came to this academy."

    That''s sad.

    "I''m glad that you saw me as a friend. It''s the first for me. Back when I''m still with my family, all the people around me were just servants and my nanny. It''s hard for me to find a real friend, let alone make friends with people."

    A sheltered noble lady, heh? One have to wonder why do girls like her even chose this academy to begin with, since after a year or so, they will get sent to the battlefield and have to fight like real soldiers. But then again, this is just me looking at this with the viewpoint of someone not from this world. For all I can tell, maybe young ladies fighting on the field is the common norm here.

    "Well, I hope you don''t intend to make me your sole friend, because I don''t think I''m up to the task."

    "It''s alright. I''ll definitely try to make more friends. Befriending you gave me that courage."

    Rather than befriending me like she said, it''s more like I kept bugging her until we became friends. Of course, I keep this to myself rather than saying it out loud.

    "I hope you can make that personal goal come true."

    We spend the next hour solely just for chatting. I ask her several questions, and in return, she asks me a bunch of questions about my world and other things ever since I came here. I even tell her the stuff that happened in the forest the other day. I don''t think all those talking is a hassle, though, because conversing with her is very enjoyable to me. It''s nice to talk with someone without earning myself some snarks.

    "I have another question: Why did you choose to become the student council president?"

    Since that title has now become a glorified errand boy/girl, why would she even wanted to take up the job?

    "Well, the position is empty and no one wants it. You can have more opportunity to help people, and since I don''t have anything better to do¡­"

    "Just that?"

    "Maybe not. But¡­I guess¡­it''s because I want to be needed by others."

    To be needed¡­heh? Now I know the reason why talking with her is so enjoyable to me.

    "We are alike, you and I."

    "We are alike?"

    I nod.

    "I want to be needed as well. That''s why when the Headmaster gave me the order to enter the Familiar competition, I thought to myself "This is my chance."."

    "Why did you think like that?"

    "Because that girl¡­Deborah, she saw me like I''m just a burden she has to carry on her back. But, to be a burden to someone, that is the thing I hate the most. I don''t want to be anyone''s burden, especially hers. That is why this competition is my chance to prove that I am not a burden to Deborah, or to anyone. I want to win this! To prove my usefulness and to be needed by others!"

    As my rant ends, Kardia doesn''t say anything, but she doesn''t stop staring at me either when I''m making a serious face. The girl suddenly looks at the ceiling as if she''s trying to find a suitable course of action.

    "That''s it. I''ve decided."

    "?"

    I give the girl a confused look.

    "We still have more than one week left before the finals. I will help you survive and win that competition with all of my abilities."

    Kardia''s offer is certainly attractive, but I''m interested on how she''s gonna help me.

    "How are you going to help me?"

    "I think you have already noticed. This room, despite being the meeting room, is also my personal workshop. I''ve spent some free time here experimenting on several alchemic compounds and ingredients. For now, I have no idea how that''s gonna help you, but we still have more than one week left to try for something that may prove useful! With your otherworldly knowledge, I''m sure this will be a success!"

    "That¡­actually sounds good."

    I mean, I can totally use a proper workshop right now. My room is too small to do experiments and synthesis. Beside, meeting with Deborah has becoming awkward lately. All of this make Kardia''s offer sounds like music to my ear.

    "But¡­is it all right for me to use your workshop?"

    "Friends don''t abandon each other, don''t they?"

    This girl, she''s so amusing. I crack out a smile as she finishes her sentence. I would call her my fairy godmother, but I hold back knowing she does not know what a fairy godmother is.

    "Alright, don''t crawl back to me in tears when I use up all of your stuff!"

    With this, I temporary borrow Kardia''s alchemy workshop for the next week. From that day onward, when classes are finished, both of us gather to this room when we''re done with our personal stuff and continue our research and experiments. There are some failures, and some successes yet proved to be impractical, but we still go on with all we have, up until the fated day.

    Time flies, and one week passes. The day has finally come for the semester''s final tests.

 Chapter 19: A test of knowledge and determination

    Today is the 28th of the Month of Earth. Only two days remain until the beginning of another year and the long-awaited New Year celebration. But before the cadets of Melas can enjoy the holidays, they need to go through a trial called the semester¡¯s final tests. The tests have two parts, one are the general exams, which are about subjects like Math, History and the likes. The other are the specialized exams, which include varied special tests from each of their own Department. The 27th, yesterday, was the date for the general exams. And yes, they crammed all the exams for the general subjects into one day. Don¡¯t ask me how absurd it was.

    I think I did good enough on those exams. The rules forbid the students from using any kind of magic or tool during (and before) the examination. So of course, that included ¡¸Remembrance¡¹, the spell that would be a god-sent for students back in my own world. However, theoretical exams like this are the common norm back when I¡¯m still on Earth, so the hard part was cramming as much as I can before the destined day.

    But well, let¡¯s put that aside since this is not the end of the finals, and I still have a bunch of problems to solve. Today, the 28th, is the real deal for the cadets studying in this academy. One can say the general exams were just a warm up, and the real tests lie with the specialized exams. The ones that will decide whether you¡¯re gonna spend the new year with your family, or with the teachers and the make-up lessons in this cold and lonely castle.

    The weather is pretty good today. The sun is high, the temperature is good, though it¡¯s still a little cold outside. A perfect day for the exam, and for the Familiar competition as well.

    I hadn¡¯t got another chance to talk with Deborah ever since that day. And even when we got a chance to meet, neither of us were capable of saying something. Pretty awkward for both of us. That would mean the two of us hadn¡¯t got anything that would resemble a battle plan, right before the fight. Sounds bad, real bad.

    But well, I¡¯ll make up something along the way. According to Kardia¡¯s words, the content for the competition changes each year, so in a way, a battle plan isn¡¯t that important. Let¡¯s hope Deborah also thinks that way.

    Put the competition aside for the moment. Right now, I have more important things to focus on.

    ¡°We have arrived.¡±

    Our proctor ¨C Mrs. Prophetissima ¨C leads us to the entrance of Darkwood forest. What awaits us at the forest¡¯s entrance is an enormous rock, about two meters tall, one that I have never seen at this place before, and I¡¯ve been around here a lot. There seems to be nothing special about the rock, it¡¯s just your ordinary annoying big rock staying at one place to bother people. I wonder what is its purpose for lying here. Are we supposed to split it in half using a karate chop or something?

    ¡°Your task is very simple. Each one of you will have to destroy this rock using your knowledge of alchemy, whether it be tools or Image Magic. Your result will be based on the time you take and the mean you use to destroy the rock.¡±

    So karate chop is a no-no, but I almost get it right, almost.

    ¡°I believed all of you have taken preparations beforehand. Well then, I will begin the exam. The first cadet to take the exam is¡­Akuma.¡±

    Mrs.Prophetissima takes a look at the name list and says my name out loud. Since the Headmaster registered me with the fake name I gave her and there is no other students in my class that has a name starts with the initial A, I get bestowed the privilege of being the first one to take on the exam. It¡¯s not exactly a problem though, I come prepared, so this should be easy, I hope.

    I walk toward the rock. Within six meters radius around the rock, there lies a magic circle. It is faint and obscure, but those who are used to the art of Image Magic can notice it immediately. I guess this is used to prevent the rock¡¯s debris from harming the students should someone decides to blow it up in the most flashy and destructive way. It¡¯s pretty convenient, considering what I¡¯m going to do.

    ¡°You may begin the exam.¡±

    My clock starts ticking the moment the cue gets dropped by our proctor. I need to finish this fast, but first, information is weapon. I need to gather more info about my opponent first.

    ¡°??? ??? ?nowl?b?? o? olb ?nli??? my ?i????.¡±

    I quickly chant the ¡¸Analyze¡¹ spell. With my reinforced eyes, I take another glance at the rock. The main component of this rock is¡­rock (obviously, duh!). So in a sense, this is just a normal rock. But when I take a deeper look inside, I find out this rock¡¯s density is much higher than a normal rock, like it was enchanted to be this dense. However, the density drops the deeper it is to the rock¡¯s center, making its center a lot more fragile than its outer shell. I deduce that the weak point of this rock is in its center core.

    All that left is how to destroy it. But the moment I get a hold over its weakness, that problem has become trivial.

    I touch the rock with my left index finger. With concentrated soul energy at the tip, I begin drawing a magic circle. Starting with a big circle on the rock¡¯s body, I write the four characters with the meaning of Earth in Ancient Tongue at the positions of the four cardinal directions. Then, I begin to rotate my finger nearer and nearer to the center to draw a spiral. The only thing left is some minor details. With this, I¡¯m done preparing the spell.

    ¡°Well then.¡±

    I press my left index finger to the center of the magic circle and activate the spell. The spiral starts to shine, creating a hole inside the circle as per purpose of this spell. ¡¸Distortion¡¹ is this spell¡¯s name. Its main purpose is to disfigure the objects inside of its effective radius. However, due to the law of conservation of mass, the mass ¡°left out¡± from the spell¡¯s effect has to go ¡°somewhere¡±. And that somewhere on this rock is currently at its back. There is a small pillar of rock at the opposite of the hole I created. I bet the total mass of the left over rock pillar is the same of those used to make my hole, but that is irrelevant since I¡¯m going to destroy all of it anyway.

    I take out the main star of this party which is previously hiding underneath my cloak. It¡¯s a white box with the size and shape similar to a wine box. On the body of the box, there is a magic circle with the word Lightning (in Ancient Tongue of course) along with random details. I press the center of the magic circle to active the spell, and drop the whole box to the hole I just created. Quickly afterward, I command the Distortion spell to fill back the hole again. With this, my task is done.

    All that left for me is to get the hell out of this place. And I run like being chased by a man eating monster closing on my ass, despite the confused looks my classmates give me. But please, if they know what I just put inside the rock is, they¡¯ll take the same course of action as I did.

    The clock keeps ticking. Five seconds to four seconds, and with passing time, the clock hits the timer at zero, the very same time I get myself to safety behind the protective barrier.

    BOOM!

    The rock gets shattered to pieces as my little box exploded inside of it. Some debris find their way to the direction of the students, but the protective barrier does its job. What remains of the rock is a handful of its foundation. I think I did good enough. All of the students look at the remaining rocks in awe, all except Kardia who¡¯s sitting alone outside of the crowd, contented with watching from afar. She knows what that is, since she was the one who helped me made that thing. We exchange looks, and Kardia just simply give me a ¡°Good job¡± head nod from where she¡¯s sitting.

    What inside the box is a red-colored plastic explosive called Semtex - the other famous plastic explosive that isn¡¯t C4. It¡¯s a rather insensitive to physical force or heat, so in order to detonate this baby, I added a small amount of pentaerythritol tetranitrate (or PETN for short) in the box to use as detonator. The magic circle outside was used to detonate the PETN inside by sparking it with electricity, and in turn, detonate the whole box. The tricky part is manipulating the magic circle for it to properly act as a timer detonator. I got help from Kardia in order to finish it. The trick she taught me was a technique called ¡°layered-spell¡±.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    To put it in layman¡¯s term, that would be drawing a magic circle on top of another magic circle, with the activation of one leading to the activation of the other. I just simply draw a magic circle that was customized to activate in the span of 7 seconds, when that time is up, it will activate the magic circle underneath, which then create an electric spark to the PETN inside and the rest is history. Complicated stuff. That¡¯s why I called this creation of mine ¡°RG Bomb¡±, stands for Rube Goldberg.

    And don¡¯t ask me on how the hell did I create plastic explosives with an alchemy pot, I have enough technobabble inside my head already.

    ¡°Well done, Mr.Akuma.¡±

    With a voice that isn¡¯t too different from her daily tone, Mrs.Prophetissima give me her words of confirmation on my test. I expect her reaction to be more¡­in awe, then I find myself having that very reaction when the debris of the destroyed rock suddenly pull themselves back to their original position and reassemble themselves to become the rock from before. The new rock looks¡­brand new, it¡¯s like my RG Bomb earlier hasn¡¯t been used on (or in) that rock from the start. With the test¡¯s objective returning to its original state, the proctor simply continues the test with a shout.

    ¡°Next!¡±

    Seems like there¡¯re still lots of things that I need to learn in this world.

    ¡­

    With the the end of the practical exams, we begin to move on to the theoretical test, which is no different than the general exams yesterday, except the subject on the test is alchemy, and there¡¯s another Item Synthesis exam after that. Since I come prepared, just like the general exams, I think I do good enough. I didn¡¯t have much hope to begin with when I ¡°transferred¡± halfway to this academy, so my main concern is simply not to fail. The end of the Item Synthesis exam also marks the end of our department¡¯s specialized exams, and also the semester¡¯s final test. I can hear the relieved sound of my classmates after we get out of the test classroom.

    However, my problems haven¡¯t ended, not yet.

    The very moment I get out of the test room, I run back to the student council meeting room with all my might. I haven¡¯t neglected daily physical training with Caelan, and all that workout do pay off, even just a bit. I still have some strength and breath left in my chest when I get to my destination. A feat that would tire the hell out of the previous me from before.

    This place has been my (borrowed) workshop for the past week. All of my preparations for the fight are inside here. I go inside the room and begin assembling my gadgets. Namely several magazines for my handgun, a leather belt with six pipes of Semtex inside to use as hand grenades, several glass syringes and finally, an RG Bomb. The pipe bombs aren¡¯t the problem, so are the magazines. But taking all of them out to the battlefield under my cloak is just a bit bothersome¡­

    ¡°You¡¯re really going?¡±

    A voice comes from the direction of the door. Kardia is standing there, with her hands still holding her notebooks after she¡¯s done with the test.

    ¡°Is there any other options left?¡±

    I answer. Silence is the only reaction coming from the girl. However, Kardia suddenly put her notebooks onto a nearby desk. She slowly walks to an old closet inside the room and takes out a black cloak. It¡¯s similar to our cloak uniform, but the white lines at the end of the cloak indicates that it¡¯s a different type of cloak than the common ones.

    ¡°This is¡­¡±

    ¡°Battle uniform for Melas¡¯s Alchemists. This is the standard uniform for the 2nd year and above, but I reinforced its material to have the ability to absorb all sort of blunt physical trauma. You can protect your gears and tools while wearing this cloak. However, it¡¯s still impervious to magic, arrows and bladed weapons.¡±

    Kardia hands me the cloak. After a quick glance, I find several empty slots in that cloak that can be used to hold all the items in my possession, even the Rude Goldberg Bomb. Combined with the fact that this cloak is also shock resistant, all these points make it a very legit battle wear for someone like me.

    ¡°This is godsent! Thank you! But is it alright for me to take it?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Just think of it as a gift from me to you, and a token of my gratitude as well.¡±

    Now she¡¯s just being overly polite again. I own her more than she think she own me. A simply thank you can¡¯t express my gratitude of her right now.

    ¡°Just promise me one thing...that you will come back here alive.¡±

    As much as I want to tease her for worrying too much, I just simply smile and nod. This is the first time for me to have someone worry about my welfare. With people like her around, there is nothing for me to regret choosing to stay and live in this world.

    Yes, to live here, to stay here, that was my wish. To be in a place where people need me. That¡¯s why I will fight to keep this life from shattering.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I will return, like always.¡±

    ¡°Then, may victory be with you.¡±

    Kardia bow her head and wish me luck as I finish gearing up and take my leave.

    ---------------------------------

    With all my battle gear under the new cloak, I run to the castle¡¯s east gate with all my strength in hope that the competition hasn¡¯t started yet. The quiet castle has become a lot livelier ever since the start of the semester¡¯s finals, and it hasn¡¯t quiet down a bit even when the finals are over. People upon people walk on the path to the castle¡¯s east gate to become spectators of this year¡¯s Familiar Competition. Their appearance give me a relief, actually. That would mean the competition hasn¡¯t started¡­yet.

    After some struggles, I get myself a clear path to continue running. After several minutes, I arrive at the castle¡¯s east gate. This is a rather large area, since armies usually march through the castle to get to the frontline, so this place was built with the capability to hold an army in mind. Priers have already populated this place, looking to a big tv-like screen projected by a crystal-powered device. Near the castle¡¯s iron gate, there are several people standing nearby. Most of them wear wizard hats, so I guess they are members of the Magic Arts and the participants of this competition, well, the first half of the participants, in a sense.

    Among those people is Deborah, who¡¯s standing there, simply sulking alone.

    The referee of the competition is standing in front of the participants. She looks familiar. If I¡¯m not wrong, that woman is Miss Walpurga ¨C the Head of the Magic Arts. But that is irrelevant right now.

    Slowly, I advance through the crowd as carefully as possible, since I don¡¯t want to gather unwanted attention from the spectators. The closer I walk, the clearer the voices from the participants become. Miss Walpurga is reading a list of names. When a participant¡¯s name get called, that person will walk forward, summon their familiar and go straight through the huge iron gate to parts unknown. That is the standard protocol, until Deborah¡¯s turn, that is.

    ¡°Miss Deborah Draconis. It¡¯s our pleasure having Lord Dargoth¡¯s granddaughter to participate in this sort of competition.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡±

    Walpurga just gives a silent smile in response.

    ¡°So, where¡¯s your familiar?¡±

    ¡°Not here.¡±

    Deborah bluntly answers. If I don¡¯t show up, she has full intention of throwing the competition away. No, maybe, that is her sole reason to come here in the first place.

    ¡°Then call him here. Summon him to this place.¡±

    Deborah falls silent as Walpurga gives the order. That woman doesn¡¯t look like the patience type. This is not good, I have to hurry.

    ¡°We both know what will happen if he doesn¡¯t enter, don¡¯t we? Do you really want to risk that consequence?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    Deborah mumbles.

    ¡°Hmm¡­? I what?¡±

    ¡°I¡­don¡¯t kn¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯M HERE!!!!¡±

    I shout. That is probably not the best course of action, since all the attention from people around radpily turns to the funny guy who¡¯s trying to get through the crowd of participants. I know I always want to be famous, but this is a little bit¡­

    ¡°You¡­you really came.¡±

    Says Deborah. She both looks surprised and unsurprised.

    ¡°Good reaction. Now you don¡¯t have to worry about getting your eyes checked.¡±

    I answer. And with that, Deborah¡¯s sour look turns into her daily grumpy face in less than one second.

    ¡°Dramatic entry indeed. Since both of you are in condition to fight, you may walk through the gate to the battleground ahead.¡±

    Walpurga just smiles as she writes some notes to her name list. In order to stop wasting time and stagnating the other guys, the both of us walk forward to the gate. That doesn¡¯t stop us from bickering on the way, though.

    ¡°You¡¯re a real idiot. Do you know that?¡±

    As we walk through the gate, the girl that is my Master opens her mouth and starts her predictable reaction.

    ¡°I admit that I have some stupidity inside my head.¡±

    I answer the girl. How humble of me to admit my stupidity.

    ¡°But that doesn¡¯t make you any smarter than me, you idiotic girl!¡±

    Deborah looks shocked.

    ¡°What !? What are you talking about, you stupid, and selfish¡­stupid and selfish idiot!¡±

    ¡°You can be more imaginative than that.¡±

    Seriously, this is the first time I see her getting THIS worked up. Emphasized with THIS.

    ¡°You blockhead! If you¡¯re going to die by the hand of someone, I will make sure that hand will be mine!¡±

    ¡°Ooooh, scary!¡±

    I laugh. All her death threats don¡¯t look so frightening when she¡¯s too angry to make a serious response.

    ¡°This is more like it. Yep, it¡¯s fine this way.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about ?¡±

    Still with a grumpy look, Deborah asks.

    ¡°I mean, being like this is fine. Let¡¯s put all the plans, thoughts and deep philosophies aside. The both of us have already entered the competition. There¡¯s no use for bickering over spilled milk. Our only job right now is to win! Stop thinking unnecessary thoughts!¡±

    For a second, Deborah is stalled. She just stands there while I keep going. Of course, that leads me to halt my track as well.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing severe. I¡¯m just wondering about how idiotic you are.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not laughing.¡±

    However, the one who¡¯s laughing isn¡¯t me, it¡¯s Deborah. Though she¡¯s just smiling rather than laughing out loud. But even that smile gets a little sour over time.

    ¡°Really¡­It¡¯s like I¡¯m being cursed or something.¡±

    Deborah mumbles.

    ¡°Well, it won¡¯t be a problem if you¡¯re cursed with me. I think that would be a blessing for you instead.¡±

    ¡°Stop being so conceited!¡±

    After that, the two of us continue to bicker as we walk to our destination, without knowing what awaits us ahead.

 Chapter 20: A showcase of ideal and power

    Melas castle was located at a highland between several mountain ranges, which act as a natural defense line for the East of Demon Realm. Due to this, the castle was built with two stone bridges on the East and West sides. The East side leads to the most of Realm¡¯s territories. The West side leads to the dead lands ravaged by wars of the past and present. Even now, the regular army stands strong to protect the Demon Realm on that Western frontier. But that is the story of another time.

    Right now, I¡¯m walking on the East bridge alongside with Deborah. Our destination is just right ahead this bridge. There are several people in front of us, and their familiars as well, but they all make haste to get to their position as fast as they can. I think we should do the same, since victory comes to those who take the initiative. Yes, we have to consider going faster.

    But then again, the both of us suddenly stop walking. Or rather, the one who does it first is Deborah, I just do the same because I¡¯m still in awe of what she¡¯s doing right now.

    ¡°What¡­are you doing?¡±

    Deborah holds out her hands to the air in front of her and starts¡­waving. No, not the ¡°Goodbye¡± kind of waving. She just waves around like some teenager girl on a dance floor, dancing a terrible traditional dance. Or not, on a second thought, it looks more like she¡¯s trying to mimic a French mime, like she is trapped inside an invisible box or something. This is so out of character for her.

    ¡°Phew¡­It¡¯s safe this time. That woman did remember.¡±

    Deborah lets out a sigh of relief. Her mime act also ends along with that, just when it starts to get amusing.

    ¡°So what¡¯s the deal with that?¡±

    In a second flat, Deborah¡¯s expression turns from a comedic mime to her daily ¡°Someone killed my puppy¡± grumpy face. With a bored tone, Deborah answers.

    ¡°To check whether the castle¡¯s protective barrier is active or not.¡±

    ¡°Protective barrier?¡±

    I ask.

    ¡°You¡¯re an alchemist yet you don¡¯t know what a protective barrier is?¡±

    ¡°Well duh, obviously I know about the stuff that protect things inside of it. But I¡¯ve never heard about this castle having a protective barrier before.¡±

    ¡°Just what did those people in the Alchemy Arts teach you ?¡±

    Deborah sighs again. She continues walking to stop wasting time, but not without going into explanation mode. I follow behind the girl as I listen to another lecture about barriers.

    ¡°This barrier was made to defend against powerful high-tier spells, the kind that can wipe a castle off the map in one sitting. It can also prevent powerful beings with high amount of soul energy to enter or leave the castle as well.¡±

    So if you¡¯re a badass in using magic, you¡¯ll have trouble going through a barrier like this?

    ¡°What happened the last time you got near this barrier?¡±

    Deborah suddenly frowns. However, it doesn¡¯t seems like she won¡¯t answer my question, though it takes her a moment before she finally has the courage.

    ¡°I rammed my face into the air like an idiot...¡±

    Well, I can imagine the rest using the little info she gave me. With that I mind, I let myself burst out a full laughter.

    ¡°Ahahahaha!!!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t laugh!¡±

    As expected, Deborah says out the two most clich¨¦ words in this kind of situation. To save my strength for the battle and myself from her wrath, I tone down my laugh, but still keep a smirk on my face.

    Though, she said the barrier was used to prevent entrance from those with high amount of soul energy, and Deborah was made a fool because of it. So her reputation as a fearsome and powerful mage does has some basis, if what she said is the truth.

    ¡°The good news is apparently they turned it off for a while to let you go out, I guess?¡±

    ¡°Seems like it.¡±

    Deborah nods in agreement with my answer. Her expressions stiffen for some reason.

    ¡°I guess the Headmaster can make an exception once in a while, since I rarely have any business outside of the castle. Turning on and off a barrier of this scale is a real hassle, you know? I believe you have some knowledge about a barrier¡¯s core?¡±

    ¡°A little.¡±

    From what I learned, protective barriers have two types: Small scale and Large scale. The small scale would just require a magic circle and soul energy in the atmosphere to be able to operate. However, for a barrier of this scale to envelop a huge castle like this, a mere magic circle won¡¯t cut it. It¡¯ll require a more complex mechanic, a catalyst of sort. That is the creation of a barrier¡¯s core. Just think of it like a command center used to manage the barrier. To turn on and off a barrier like this, you¡¯ll need to access the barrier¡¯s core and make those changes yourself. I¡¯m not a specialist in this type of magic, so I have no idea what a core looks like.

    ¡°Do you know where the core is?¡±

    ¡°That is something we better off not knowing.¡±

    Deborah answers with a stern voice.

    ¡°Hmm. Why is that?¡±

    ¡°Please use your brain once in a while.¡±

    Following her advice, I turn my brain on to use its analyze function. Hmm¡­Deborah said this barrier was used to prevent spells that can wipe out a castle, and prevent beings with high amount of soul energy to enter. So I guess it would be natural to hide the location the core since if the enemy know about it, they will try to find a way to disable the core and blast the castle off the map. Got it!

    ¡°Got it!¡±

    Deborah throws me a look of disbelief. However, I don¡¯t care about that, since my focus is currently on the forest in front of us. A chatter really does wonders, we have already crossed the long stone bridge without knowing, thanks to a simple chat.

    ¡°So this is our battleground.¡±

    When we both get off the bridge, I take several steps ahead to look at the forest¡¯s entrance, while Deborah stays behind, looking deep in thought.

    ¡°Erkunia Forest. At the end of the forest is the seventh Asmodi¡¯s territory. A forest filled with monsters, and they¡¯re not the peaceful types you met at Darkwood.¡±

    ¡°But that isn¡¯t what we should be worry about, right?¡±

    Deborah doesn¡¯t reply. Seems like her mood for a chat is over. I guess I should also prepare to get serious.

    I begin to give myself a quick equipment check. Underneath my shock-resistant battle cloak are six pipe bombs, three glass syringes and a RG Bomb. On my belt is several 9mm caliber, fifteen round magazines and of course, my trusty gun. I don¡¯t think I will have much use for the gun in a fight like this, though. My hunch tells me this fight isn¡¯t gonna be as easy as the last fight I got. But well, there¡¯s no turning back now. The only thing I can do right now is keep moving forward.

    ¡°Are you ready, Deborah?¡±

    Suddenly, the girl slowly walks toward me and¡­pats me on the back. A pat with the force that could match the punch of a grown man.

    ¡°What the hell are you doing!? That hurts!¡±

    ¡°Moral encouragement.¡±

    Deborah answers with a nonchalant attitude.

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. I thought you were trying to kill me instead!¡±

    Seriously, I have a feeling all of my internal organs just turned upside down from her pat. Well, that may be a little exaggerated, but I do feel weird after her pat. It¡¯s like her pat really did pump up my spirit like she said.

    ¡°Can¡¯t take a little pat on the back? Are you really a man?¡±

    Deborah smirks and walks toward the forest¡¯s entrance. What¡¯s her problem, anyway? Is she trying to make a joke? If so, then I¡¯m not laughing!

    ¡°I studied the way around here yesterday, so I¡¯ll take the lead. Follow me, and don¡¯t get yourself lost.¡±

    Without a look back to the guy standing behind her, Deborah takes her steps and enters the forest¡¯s entrance. I guess there¡¯s no other choice but to let her lead the way. Ladies first, like how people always said.

    Still, what did she eat everyday to get a brute strength like that? Is it because of that mystery dish served in the academy¡¯s cafeteria? And for some reason, I suddenly have a hunch that I¡¯m forgetting something. Can¡¯t remember what, though. But, if I forgot about it, then it¡¯s probably not that important.

    I don¡¯t have any more time to stand here doubting, though, or else I¡¯ll really get lost if I don¡¯t follow Deborah¡¯s trail. I quickly move my feet and enter the forest as well.

    ¡­

    The path through the forest is dark, even though the sun is at its highest at the moment. Dead trees are everywhere, and the ground was covered with dark leaves, not too different from the Darkwood. However, the atmosphere around is heavy and eerie, even more than the wood I¡¯m familiar with. It¡¯s like a ghost forest, the kind that people go in to commit suicide, like the old Aokigahara forest back in my world. If this forest exists in my old world, it certainly will become a hotspot for aspiring horror movie makers. But then again, if people flock in here just because of its horrific atmosphere, then it wouldn¡¯t be an eerie forest anymore.

    Back to the topic at hand, I¡¯m still following behind Deborah. The path she chose is rather rough. It¡¯s out of the main path, but she said that the competition will be held at the Northern part of the forest, so of course, I don¡¯t have any saying in this situation when I know next to nothing about this area.

    Rocks and rocks are everywhere. Climbing through them is a chore indeed. However, despite wearing a long dress, Deborah goes through all of the obstacles on the way with ease, and barely breaks a sweat on top of that. I never know she¡¯s the physical type. Maybe her tall figure helps? Come to think of it, even though the light is scarce, following behind Deborah does has its¡­perks, considering her¡­back assets, even if her cloak and her long skirt do their best to keep them hidden.

    ¡°What are you standing there for?¡±

    ¡°Nothing! It¡¯s not like I¡¯m looking at something in particular!¡±

    As I answer her sudden question, Deborah throws me another look of disbelief. She just sighs without pursuing the question and continues on her way.

    ¡°We have to hurry. We need to gain a foothold before the competition starts.¡±

    So it hasn¡¯t started yet? If so, then what is the reason for the absence of all the other participants? Or is it like Deborah said, they have already chose a good position to gain foothold before the fight?

    ¡°Stop standing there and move your feet!¡±

    Deborah¡¯s shout from afar brings me back to reality from the depth of my thought. Damn, this bad habit of mine is really annoying. I don¡¯t remember spending time at cloud cuckoo land to gain this kind of habit.

    ¡°Geez¡­seriously. To think that woman¡¯s words are true¡­¡±

    As I approach the girl who is waiting for me, I can hear Deborah mumbling something to herself.

    ¡°Is there a problem?¡±

    I ask.

    ¡°Nothing. Just keep going. The competition will start soon.¡±

    Deborah once agains take the lead. Our following moments are as uneventful as ever. Finally, we get pass a rough and rocky area and find a flat land that is easy to stand on. I take a short rest on a nearby rock and wipe out the sweat on my face with my sleeve. Despite taking on the same obstacles as me, Deborah still looks as vigorous as ever, to the point she doesn¡¯t need a rest and just stands there looking around.

    ¡°So, when will it start?¡±

    ¡°Shhhh.¡±

    Deborah gives me a sign of silent. The girl suddenly closes her eyes for five seconds. When that time ends, Deborah opens her eyes and lets out a voice.

    ¡°It¡¯s here.¡±

    The moment Deborah finishes talking is also the same moment a small shooting star flies past us with speed bordering on the speed of sound. Suddenly, it flies back to us and just hovering on the sky. That shooting star¡¯s true form is a small ball of light, radiating something that looks like pixie dust as it keeps hovering on the sky. It reminds me of a certain annoying fairy in a game about a boy named Zelda or something.

    ¡°Attention, all participants!¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    It sounds like a voice just comes out from that ball of light, but it¡¯s not. The voice I suddenly hear actually comes from my head. No, seriously, it did come from my head, but I¡¯m ceratinly not THAT crazy, so don¡¯t make any assumptions. It¡¯s more like that ball of light is acting as some sort of conductor, a microphone of sort so the announcement can reach the participants.

    ¡°I will now hereby announce the rules of the competition. In this year¡¯s competition, your main goal will be acquiring the balls of light in this forest with your familiar. They are the same one that is in front of you. There are no runners-up, only one winner. The time duration is one hour, at the end of that time, the familiar that acquired the most balls of light will be declared winner.¡±

    So it¡¯s like a game of tag but with balls of light? Nevermind about that. I have something else to take care of.

    Slowly, I walk to the highest rock nearby and climb on it, all while listening to the next part of the announcement.

    ¡°The rules are simple. You may allow your familiar to engages in combat against the familiar of others. Killing however isn¡¯t recommended. Also, the masters are forbid from directly taking part in the fight, namely attacking other masters and familiars. Severe punishment awaits those who wish to break this rule. The competition¡¯s progress will be broadcast to the spectators at the castle, so behave yourself. That is all. The competition will now begin!¡±

    As I thought, the very moment the announcement ends is also the moment the ball of light starts to fly away. But I have anticipated that. Before it can get its velocity back to the speed earlier, I lunge toward the ball from the rock I just climbed, snatching it in the process.

    Or not, it doesn¡¯t have any weight since it is literally a ball of light so I can¡¯t grab it in the physical sense, but the very moment I touch it, it suddenly disperses and goest inside my body. What does this mean?

    ¡°So you got one from the start. Maybe you¡¯re not as hopeless as I thought.¡±

    Says Deborah. So that a success? Not bad.

    ¡°Well, I entered this competition with the intention to win, thank you.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    As Deborah finishes saying her line, she turns her head to the forest behind her back, like she¡¯s scouting the terrain or something. About me, I stand up, dusting the dirt out of my clothes and prepare for the next fight.

    ¡°We should move on. I bet the other participants have already started the hunt. It¡¯s best to avoid them.¡±

    Deborah¡¯s right. If the goal is to catch the balls of light, then fighting against others is meaningless. It¡¯s best to avoid them and just focus on acquiring the balls.

    ¡°Ladies first.¡±

    I give Deborah the sign to continue leading us. She doesn¡¯t give me any sort of reaction and just moves on the path.

    The deeper we walk, the darker the forest becomes. However, with Deborah leading the way, even if we¡¯re in the dark, we always find a proper path to walk through. The girl really has a good sense of direction. But that isn¡¯t the problem here. The problem is we both became silent for the last five minutes. I know that is the wise course of action to remain silent, since a lively chatter can give away our position, but venture through the dark like this without saying anything¡­it really makes me feel uneasy.

    ¡°Hey Deborah, what is the difference between a monster and a familiar?¡±

    I finally ask a question when I¡¯m at my wits¡¯ end.

    ¡°You¡¯ll know when you get to see them.¡±

    A short answer. Well, what else did I expect from her?

    ¡°Come to think of it, despite this forest being filled with monsters, we have yet to encounter any for some reason¡­Are they hibernating?¡±

    It¡¯s Winter, after all.

    ¡°That¡¯s very smart of them.¡±

    Again, Deborah give me another quick answer, all while keeping her pace in the dark. With how uninterested she is, I guess trying to make another chat is meaningless. And so, we just continue walking.

    Ten minutes pass. We find ourselves standing near the bank of a river when we finally get out of the dark forest. While keeping yourself hidden is fine and all, but if we don¡¯t take the initiative then how else can we win this competition? The clock is ticking and all we can do right now is hiding?

    Suddenly, as if the gods read my mind and decide to grant me my wish, at a position from afar comes an explosion. With trees covering all the way, it¡¯s hard to make an accurate approximate distance, but I¡¯ll say it¡¯ll only take about five minutes from here to get to that place.

    ¡°So it started.¡±

    Deborah mumbles to herself as she looks to the same direction as I do. However, it seems like we don¡¯t share the same viewpoint, since the girl pay no more attention to the direction of the explosion and just trying to figure out a way to cross the river.

    ¡°I think we should approach that direction.¡±

    I reply, with my finger pointing toward the direction of the explosion earlier.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s too dangerous. We will keep going.¡±

    Says Deborah, without turning her back to me. I clench my fists and grit my teeth as I prepare my answer.

    ¡°Why? If there is a fight, then it¡¯s no doubt that a ball of light is nearby as well? We¡¯ll waste time if we just keep hiding like this.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous. It¡¯s best that we search for the ones that haven¡¯t been pursued by anyone.¡±

    Again, Deborah answers without meeting me face to face.

    ¡°Is that the only reason?¡±

    Like a keyword, my question piques Deborah¡¯s attention. She turns back and stares at me, with a look of pity through her red eyes.

    ¡°You¡­are not strong enough. That¡¯s all.¡±

    I clench my fists harder. That gaze of hers, I absolutely loathe it. The look of seeing someone as a burden, her burden, especially. Stop looking at me with a gaze like that.

    ¡°I¡¯ve changed! I worked my ass off because I believe I can change! I can defeat them if I have a chance. And this is that chance!¡±

    ¡°No¡­you can¡¯t. Your voice are filled with doubts. And you know it.¡±

    What doubts! Stop putting words in my mouth!

    ¡°You¡¯re na?ve, Akuma. Too na?ve. You do not know how harsh this world can be. This competition isn¡¯t a mere childplay as you thought it would. I know not the extent of your power, but from what I can tell, your exotic magic is not enough to keep you alive in a world like this.¡±

    With a pause, Deborah lets out a sadden smile. But, her words don¡¯t end with just that.

    ¡°Heh, why I am still trying to explain this to you? Your foolishness is beyond saving. I give up. The only way you can learn this lesson is to experience yourself. Face it, without strength, you¡¯re as good as dead if you want to walk the path of a warrior.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re saying like strength is the answer for everything!¡±

    I shout.

    ¡°And you¡¯re saying like that isn¡¯t true.¡±

    Another staring fight. Our eyes meet once again. Her sharpen eyes, versus my eyes of anger.

    I won¡¯t buy it. I won¡¯t buy any of her crap. It¡¯s true than humans like me were born weak. Ever since the start of our race, running is all we can do to survive from the horror that are the primal beasts. But that doesn¡¯t mean humanity gave up without a fight. It¡¯s true that a human isn¡¯t as strong as a bear, as fast as a cheetah nor capable of flight like an eagle. But humanity can create weapons to fight the strength of a bear, vehicles to outrun the speed of a cheetah, and aircrafts to conquer the skies that an eagle can never reach. Right, humans are weak in nature, but their spirit is not!

    ¡°You¡¯re wrong! Strength isn¡¯t everything!¡±

    Suddenly, before I can end my rant, a loud growl comes from a bush nearby. Slowly, a large creature emerges from the dark. It¡¯s enourmous, almost three meters tall and has a bear-like form, except for the bones sticking out from its black fur, covering its main body and shoulders like a metal armor. Its face is hellish with black sclera eyes and a mouth that is filled with purple saliva. Yep, that is definitely not a character from Winnie the Pooh.

    ¡°Hey Deborah, is it a familiar?¡±

    I give out my question as I reach my hand to the inside of my cloak, grabbing a pipe bomb in the process. A sweat drops from my face as my worry starts to rise by the bone-armored bear¡¯s appearance.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s just a plain monster.¡±

    Deborah calmly answers. The girl¡¯s stare is focusing on the bear right now. However, despite being cautious, I saw no signs of fear when I look at the girl.

    The bear growls like it was trying to say ¡°It¡¯s lunchtime! And meat is on the menu!¡±. Our little conversation has probably piqued its attention, or maybe because of the explosion nearby woke it up from its slumber, but why it¡¯s here doesn¡¯t matter right now. Slowly, it walks toward us, with eyes aiming especially at me like it knows I¡¯m holding something that can bring pain to it.

    ¡°Deborah, stand back! I¡¯ll deal with it. You try to get to safety. This will get a little messy.¡±

    ¡°No, you stand back.¡±

    Her answer is something I do not expect, and it just keeps escalating from there.

    From the conversation earlier, I think she will simply bring out some bullshit spell and burn the bear to ash or something to show me her definition of strength and disprove my words in the process. But no, on contrary, she doesn¡¯t do anything flashy to combat the bear in any form. All Deborah does is walking toward the bear, slowly, with next-to-no caution nor hesitation in her gestures. An action that looks very, if not outright suicidal of her. But the girl shows no hints of fear. If anything, it¡¯s¡­actually compassion that she¡¯s showing, to that demonic bear of all thing.

    The bone-armored bear averts its attention from me to the girl that dares to confront it. Slowly, it closes the distance to its arm reach. When the two of them stand face to face, the bear growls. Deborah¡¯s long red hair flutters away due to the wind, or breath, that comes from its mouth. It¡¯s hard to see her reactions from here, all I can see is her back and the gigantic demonic bear in front of her.

    The bear suddenly raises its right arm. From its hand, it bare its claws, a set of sharp claw made of bones. Before I know it, it swings its arm downward, aiming at Deborah¡¯s head with the intention to kill the girl in one strike.

    ¡°Deborah! Watch out!¡±

    I shout in vain and in fear of seeing someone die in front of me for the first time of my life. But¡­ the gods seemingly heard my one-second prayer and decide to actually do something. Before reaching her neck with barely a few inches away, the bear suddenly stops its arm from bashing Deborah¡¯s neck like a feeble tree twig. I know I¡¯m not the pious type, but to think my prayers actually come true¡­

    ...No, that¡¯s not true. It¡¯s not gods¡¯ work, not at all.

    The bear draws its arm back. Its ferocious aura disappears, replaced with a terrified look instead. Cowers in fear, the bear slowly retreats, but not without being cautious to bow before the young girl as it slowly steps away. Once it goes back to the forest, the atmosphere becomes normal again. That¡¯s it? No fight and it just retreated like a coward? Just¡­what is this? What happened?

    This is too sudden, I¡­I don¡¯t have any words to say about this. No, I can¡¯t find any, even if I try.

    Deborah turns back and throws me a stare. Her red eyes hold no complex feelings, unlike the earlier conversation. Is this¡­her definition of strength? What exactly is the thing she tried to prove?

    I...I don¡¯t know what to do anymore.

    ¡°!!¡±

    Deborah suddenly senses something. She turns her head back to the direction of the bear earlier. I can feel it as well. Something is moving very fast from that direction. Is that bear coming here to finish what he started?

    ¡°Akuma! Dodge!¡±

    It¡¯s partly true. The thing that comes out from the forest is indeed that bear, but it isn¡¯t running, it¡¯s flying toward me, with speed matching a cannonball and with the size of a medium tank. Though, it¡¯s more like something threw it, because bears can only grow wings when pigs can grow theirs first. But that isn¡¯t what I should concern about right now. What I should worry is what will I do to keep my life from being crushed by that big ass bear.

    ¡°Holy s!!!¡±

    With all of my strength, I take a dodge roll to the side to evade the flying bear. Rolling on the hard ground isn¡¯t exactly pleasant, but I¡¯ll prefer it than getting crushed under the weight of that giant bear.

    Dusts begin to fill the air as the bear makes contact with the ground. When I get back to my feet, I give the bear a glance. It¡¯s¡­dying. The bear¡¯s breathing heavily. The bone-armor on its chest is broken, and there¡¯s a stream of black blood flowing out from a stab wound that could only be caused by an ultra greatsword or something similar. Its suffering doesn¡¯t last long. When the time comes, the bear takes its final breath and promptly dies from massive blood loss.

    What exactly is happening right now?

    ¡°So this is source of that dreadful aura engulfing the whole forest...¡±

    From the direction where the bear was tossed, there comes a voice. From the dark, a young man walks toward the river bank where we¡¯re standing nearbyt. He¡¯s wearing the standard cadet uniform of Melas, along with an armband of the Magic Arts department. However, he doesn¡¯t wear any sort of wizard hat.

    I¡­know this guy. He was the guy who offered Amadia a position in his party that day, the day where I tasted Deborah¡¯s ¡°tough love¡±.

    ¡°Naranath¡­¡±

    I raise my alertness to its highest, while Deborah just gives the guy a cold stare. I put the pipe bomb back and try to get my hand on my gun, though thanks to the rules of this competition, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m in the position to shoot the guy right now.

    ¡°Fancy meeting you here, Akuma. Did I choose the wrong time to barge in? Seems like you two are having a lovers¡¯ quarrel here.¡±

    ¡°What the hell do you want ?¡±

    I shout, despite knowing full well his intention. There¡¯s no doubt the dead bear is the work of Naranath, or probably his familiar¡¯s. However, the problem is where the hell his familiar is. Maybe it¡¯s still in the forest and is awaiting further orders. To cause a wound like this¡­just what sort of creature is his familiar?

    ¡°Now now. It¡¯s really hard to follow you when you guys took a detour from the main course, you know? I¡¯m simply here to tell you that the opposite riverbank is the end of the competition¡¯s boundary. Those who cross it will be instantly disqualified from the competition. If you keep going, you¡¯ll find yourself getting kicked out of the competition before having any worthwhile fight, you know?¡±

    Detour¡­? Boundary¡­? Disqualified¡­?

    What did he mean¡­by that?

    ¡°Hey¡­tell me, Deborah. What he said isn¡¯t true, right¡­?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Deborah¡¯s expression noticeably darkens.

    ¡°Please¡­tell me you¡¯re not trying to get me disqualified¡­? Please tell me¡­this is simply just a prank?¡±

    Once again, Deborah doesn¡¯t answer. The girl clenches her fists while her shoulders are shaking. She does not directly face me, and that is the answer I need.

    I feel disappointed. Despite knowing I should be angry right now, but disappointment is all I can feel deep inside my heart.

    ¡°Why¡­? You do know what will happen to me if I fail¡­Yet¡­why?¡±

    The girl pays me no heed. Her attention is currently focusing on Naranath right now. Her face is scary and shows the only thing she feels right now: Anger.

    ¡°You there¡­making me angry isn¡¯t a smart choice.¡±

    Naranth doesn¡¯t care about her attitude though. He just put on a smile in amusement.

    ¡°Like I give a damn! Enough of the dramatic tragedy! Shall we get to the main business then?¡±

    With a smirk on his face, Naranath snaps his fingers. From the forest, a bunch of clanking sound can be heard. Suddenly, the trees behind Naranath are cut down when his familiar emerges.

    That¡­thing is huge. It¡¯s almost four meters tall. The thing that is Naranath¡¯s familiar, it barely qualify as a creature and a living being. His familiar is a decapod creature with similarities to a crab, except it has greatswords for legs and pincers, and armors for a body. The greatswords that made up its pincers also look a lot like two pairs of scissors. There¡¯s still some black blood remaining on the giant enemy crab¡¯s right pincer, most likely the dead bear¡¯s blood. If something like that can stab through the armor of a bear, just imagine if that happens to a human being¡­

    ¡°Go Basatan! Cut that piece of shit into a hundred pieces!¡±

    The giant crab easily complies Naranath¡¯s order. Despite being a crab, it can walk straight just fine. But that isn¡¯t what I should worry about.

    ¡°Akuma!¡±

    Deborah shouts as the giant crab walks pass her. However, I don¡¯t have anything left to say to that girl.

    Right now, I should value my life first. Its pincers are big, and its walking speed is on par with a car. Facing it head on is outright suicidal. I need to pick a terrain that will give me an advantage.

    With this thought in mind, I run toward the forest. The crab promptly follows behind. The plan works pretty fine, at first. Despite having big ass pincers that can cut trees like papers, it still can¡¯t walk with full speed when there¡¯re tons of obstacles on the way. Of course, I¡¯m having it easier with my smaller stature when compared to that thing. I should use this to my advantage. Right now, the best thing I should do is to devise a countermeasure against that crab.

    BAM!

    Before I can have an easy time to do it though, suddenly, the crab appears from the sky and crashes the whole place it just landed on, with only a few meters from my location. Did it just¡­jump here?

    With its pincers, the crab begins tearing the forest apart. Trees upon trees are mercilessly cut down by that crab. However, despite the fact I am standing nearby, the crab doesn¡¯t actually notice me. I think hiding behind a tree helps. But seriously, I guess the crab is blind, since I saw no eyes on its armored body. Though, earlier, when the crab took its jump, it actually almost cut me down with its legs. It measured its jumping distance pretty accurately, I can¡¯t take the fact that it is blind to face value when the crab is capable of a feat like that. Maybe it¡¯s actually sound-based navigation, but then again, I¡¯m not the only one making sounds in this forest when there¡¯s the whole fighting going on around this whole area.

    It must have some sort of mechanic for navigating, that¡¯s for sure. But enough observing. It isn¡¯t aware of my exact location yet, that¡¯s a fact. If I want to bring it down, this is my chance.

    Slowly, I reach to a pipe bomb inside my cloak. There are two type of pipe bombs in my cloak right now. One will explode in contact, the other is the timer type. I take out a timer pipe bomb. The setting for this type is three seconds before exploding. After I¡¯m done taking a quick calculation, I activate the bomb, step out of my hiding place, throws it to the location of the crab and run away as fast as I can.

    It¡¯s like what I just guessed, the very moment I get out of my hiding place, the crab reacts and turns back to my direction. When it begins to give chase, the time bomb also hits its end and explodes as the crab make its first steps. A big explosion covers the crab in smoke. I can still see its legs, but it seems to stop moving for a moment.

    ¡°Did it work?¡±

    The answer¡­is no. It didn¡¯t.

    ¡°Impossible¡­¡±

    I am stunned when my treasured bomb barely did any damage. The crab is paralyzed for about a second before giving chase again. All the bomb did was just dirtying the crab¡¯s right pincer. And with that very pincer, it throws a thrust to my direction. A thrust as fast as a master swordman¡¯s thrust. I can¡¯t even react to dodge with that kind of speed.

    Before I know it, I find myself flying from the ground when the crab stabs my chest, just like what it did to the bear earlier.

    The last thing I see is the light of the sun above. I¡¯m falling to the darkness under a cliff nearby.

    Before long, light escapes from my sight, and darkness embraces me to join the ranks of the dead.

 Chapter 21: A vow to end his weakness

    The flow of time has always been relative to the perception of humans. Like, when we constantly move our bodies and minds, time itself will flow at the same speed as we perform our actions. It¡¯s a theory of mine, anyway, like how a boring lecture would always drag out time longer than it should, or doing something fun would make it shorter. Something like that. It¡¯s a matter of perception.

    ¡°Akuma! Wake up, Akuma!¡±

    As I lay unconscious in the darkest part under the cliff I fell earlier, only now do I realize how powerful your subjective view can affect the world around you.

    Darkness clouds my weakened vision in its pitch black shadow, devoid of any ray of light. My ear can only hear the dripping sound made by droplets of leftover water from somewhere in this dark cliff. One drop per second. It¡¯s annoying indeed, but only thanks to that annoying sound that I know I¡¯m not dead¡­as least not yet.

    Time passes, but I can¡¯t have any firm grasp on how long has it been. Hours? Minutes? In the depth of the darkness, they are all relatives to my sense of time. A second may feel like a minute. A minute may feel like an hour. An hour may feel like an eternity. One can say this is an eternal hell of time, with its punishment being unable to do anything, at all.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­Only a few broken ribs. Seems like the ¡¸Body Armor¡¹ worked.¡±

    I try moving my hands to no avail. The best I can do is moving my fingers. I have no strength left. I can¡¯t check my body, but I guess it¡¯s a mess right now. I think it¡¯s a miracles that I¡¯m still alive, though the question is¡­for how long.

    ¡°It¡¯s going to hurt a bit. But this is for your own good.¡±

    Come to think of it, something is still bugging me. I remember being stabbed in the chest by that piece of shit called Basatan. But I didn¡¯t ¡°actually¡± get stabbed, rather, that stab pushed me away to the cliff instead. It¡¯s like being rammed by an incoming truck rather than being stabbed. I guess I should feel lucky when I got away from becoming slice breads with only a few broken bones.

    But then again, what is worse, being stabbed to death, or having to lie waiting until your body gives out under the darkness?

    I can feel the sound of my heart. It¡¯s beating, slowly. Thump thump, thump thump. A dance of life, but it¡¯s slowly stopping. Like every dance will have its end, every life will eventually fade away. Yeah, why bother to continue living, to continue dancing in a stage without music and spectators? Why bother¡­

    ¡°q?in q?in ?o ?w?y. ?i?? li?? ?om? ??i? w?y.¡±

    ¡°!!¡±

    Suddenly, I feel something rising from deep inside my body. A surge. A burst. Before I know it, I begin to spit out blood and start coughing. The eyes that can see only darkness start working again. And with those eyes, I see Deborah, who¡¯s holding a flame in her right hand, and my back in her left.

    The girl looks worried. There¡¯s a drop of blood on her face, presumably my blood from my earlier spit. But the girl doesn¡¯t pay any heed. Like a goddess, she descends to the darkness with light in hand to save this lost soul of mine, but this is after she almost cast me away to hell. It¡¯s rather hard for me to sort out my feelings right now, but then again, I should worry about my body first.

    ¡°Can you hear me, Akuma¡­?¡±

    With my remaining strength, I nod in response.

    ¡°Why am I¡­still alive¡­?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not something you should concern about right now.¡±

    It doesn¡¯t hurt to be friendly once in a while, you know?

    ¡°Can you walk?¡±

    Says Deborah. I try to move my legs, but then again, it proves to be useless for now. The girl sees it, and just sighs.

    ¡°Tch. Your body is so weak, healing spell actually gets less effective to heal you.¡±

    As much as I want to make a comeback at her, with my current state, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t afford even that. It¡¯s sad, really. Once again, I focus all my strength to my legs and arms, but it proves to be futile just like before.

    ¡°Geez. Just hold on tight.¡±

    Suddenly, Deborah holds my arm and pulls my body up. Before I know it, the girl has already gave me a piggyback ride on her back. A piggyback ride of all thing. A man¡¯s pride? What is that? You¡¯ll lose what is called a man¡¯s pride the moment a girl gives you a piggyback ride.

    ¡°Ouch ouch!¡±

    Her sudden move surely isn¡¯t the best thing for my broken bones.

    ¡°Stop whining. If you¡¯re a man then try to act like one!¡±

    I didn¡¯t remember introducing myself to her as Rambo.

    ¡°Your wounds will completely healed in about five minutes. Until then, bear with it.¡±

    Without giving me time to answer, Deborah begins walking with the small fire in her right arm as a guiding light. The walking part however doesn¡¯t last long. When she gets familiar to the track, Deborah suddenly switches to running. Despite carrying a man on her back, Deborah doesn¡¯t have any difficulty maintaining her running speed. Just what does she eat everyday to get such strength?

    ¡°Seriously¡­seriously! Just how foolish could you be? If you crossed that river then this wouldn¡¯t happen to begin with!¡±

    As she continues to carry me on her back, Deborah speaks.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never asked you for this. I¡¯ve never expected great things from you to begin with. Then why? Why are you trying so hard¡­for someone like me? Do you love to be a knight in shining armor that much? Answer me¡­please.¡±

    I fall into silence as I try to sort out my thoughts and feelings.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t do this for you¡­I do this¡­because¡­I don¡¯t want to be a burden¡­to anyone.¡±

    I¡¯m saying this line as I am carried by Deborah on her back. Ironic, isn¡¯t it.

    The girl¡­ever since her meeting with the Headmaster, she looked like she was tormented because of the choice over my fate given to her by the Headmaster. To join this fight, or to let me get kicked out. She has the power to decide one of the two. But this girl¡­she¡¯s stubborn, too stubborn for her own good. She tried to make a third option, one that doesn¡¯t involve fighting in any form, and she failed even that due to my own stubbornness. So she resorted to her last trick, that was fooling me to forfeit from this fight. I don¡¯t know how¡¯s that gonna help me, but I think the girl has her reason. But, I can¡¯t deny the fact that she¡¯s treating me like a burden, her burden.

    Yes, one can say every action she did was for my own good. But, did she even ask whether or not I wanted to be saved? I¡¯m perfectly willing to share her burden, and yet, why did she continue to give me her pity? If she¡¯s being honest for once, maybe all of this¡­would never happen.

    But, maybe, the girl has her points. Look at how wounded I am, it¡¯s a miracle I haven¡¯t died back then. And I should be the last person in this world to give her a lecture about stubbornness. In the end, neither of us have the right to judge the other on their choice.

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear something like ¡°I¡¯ve never expected great things from you¡± ever again. It¡¯s¡­painful, and hurts more than physical pain to my body.¡±

    What good is your life when no one expected anything from you? When people gave up hope for you, is it any different than being dead? What is the worth of an existence without a meaning, without a purpose?

    Please, never say anything like that to me again.

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    After her line, Deborah falls to silence. We put our our conversation to a halt, probably because of how awkward this has become. Maybe it¡¯s because she realizes how foolish she was, and because I myself also realize how equally foolish I was. For once, we have a common ground about something.

    Deborah continues to run, up until we see the sight of sunlight. Finally, we escape from the dark cliff. Outside of the cliff are parts of the forest. This means we¡¯re still around within the competition¡¯s battle zone. It¡¯s entirely possible that we may get attacked from this point forward, so in other words, we have to be careful. As long as the opponent isn¡¯t someone with a personal grudge like Naranath, maybe we can make it out of this place in one piece.

    ¡°What took you guys so long? Having some lovey-dovey conversation?¡±

    Me and my goddamn mind! Speak of the Devil and the Devil shall come.

    Several trees get torn down as Naranath¡¯s familiar makes its entrance, followed by Naranath leisurely walking behind. The armored crab clangs its pincers, eagerky waiting for the orders to tear us to shreds. When I take another glance at the crab, once again I find no significant damage in its body, proving the futileness my pipe bombs.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have anything better to do? Like winning this competition?¡±

    Before I can get a chance to bark something, Deborah takes away the initiative and opens her mouth.

    ¡°By which you mean playing tag with some light balls? I¡¯m sorry, but I have no reason to win this shitty competition. My goal has always been this from the start.¡±

    Naranath snaps his finger. The armored crabs suddenly walks to our front and ready its pincers. However, it hasn¡¯t attacked us, not yet.

    ¡°Why so angry? Did this guy steal your girl or something?¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    Deborah asks with her annoying smirk on her face, which somehow also annoys me as well.

    ¡°Close enough.¡±

    Naranath answers with the most unexpected response.

    ¡°What? Seriously?¡±

    Deborah suddenly turns her head to my face to look for an answer.

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask me.¡±

    I reply.

    ¡°You have a knack for getting in troubles, do you know that?¡±

    Says Deborah.

    ¡°Yeah, sometimes I wish I could share this talent of mine to others.¡±

    Our little chatter is short-lived as Naranath starts yelling once again.

    ¡°Shut your trap! He took my prey away, so I¡¯ll take his life instead! Now move away, girl. This doesn¡¯t concern you. You and I have no business with each other.¡±

    I have a feeling Naranath will gladly order the crab to stab both of us the moment the chance presents itself. However, due to the rule about forbidding masters from fighting each other, and since I¡¯m behind Deborah¡¯s back, Naranath can¡¯t freely attack Deborah without landing himself some sort of punishment. That means Deborah is now the only thing that stands between me and death. This makes me a failure of a familiar, of course.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t concern me? He¡¯s my familiar, goddamn it!¡±

    Deborah yells. She looks pissed, very pissed.

    ¡°So what? Does that familiar of yours actually act as your familiar? Does he actually obey your words, and do as you say? Why should you care for something that doesn¡¯t care about you? Don¡¯t make it harder for me now. I can reach him, and I will reach him, whether you like it or not!¡±

    ¡°Do you actually think I¡¯ll just stand aside and watch you do as you like ?¡±

    Naranath puts on a wicked smile as he once again answers Deborah¡¯s question.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t want to get expelled for a familiar like him.¡±

    ¡°You think I care?¡±

    The small fire hovering on Deborah¡¯s right arm suddenly bursts into a flam the size of a human¡¯s head. Incidentally, several trees around Naranath¡¯s direction are set on fire at the same moment Deborah turns up the heat of her fist. It¡¯s pretty jarring to see her right arm is unharmed despite her hand is literally on fire, but right now, I can only feel amazed as I see the famed Flame Dragon bares her fangs.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care about your goals or your motive. I don¡¯t even know who you are to begin with. But it doesn¡¯t matter who or what, for those who dare to harm what belongs to me, be prepared to face my wrath! You¡¯re not gonna walk out of here alive!¡±

    The threat of being expelled doesn¡¯t flinch Deborah even just a bit. Naranath is stunned by her threat. Yet the guy doesn¡¯t seem to be the type who would give up from mere threats like this. Believe it or not, but I think the guy has a clear advantage in this situation. His familiar may kill me and get away scot-free due to the loophole in the competition¡¯s rules. But if Deborah attacks his familiar, she will be punished for breaking the rules. Knowing the Headmaster, Deborah will surely get expelled (along with me, provide I survive afterward). That is a scenario no one want it to come true.

    ¡°Deborah! Stop! Try to think about this carefully!¡±

    However, my voice can¡¯t reach her. The girl is totally in battle-mode right now. Her stare is intensively focused on the armored crab, along with a grit of anger. She¡¯s letting her wrath cloud her judgement!

    ¡°It¡¯s too bad. No one would want to see Lord Dargoth¡¯s granddaughter being expelled from Melas!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t freaking care!¡±

    The girl shouts. She¡¯s so gung-ho to the point it hurts. Yep, this is bad, real bad!!

    ¡°Then, we don¡¯t have anything left to say. Go, Basatan!¡±

    The crab gladly obeys the order from Naranath. With all its might, the crab runs toward us with full force. As a counter measure, Deborah gathers even more flame to her fireball, making it even bigger than both of us combined. I can feel the heat very well, but Deborah is completely unfazed despite holding a fireball the size of a giant rock in her right hand.

    ¡°Deborah! Stop! This is real bad! Stop stop stop stop!¡±

    Am I really that useless? Can¡¯t I stop someone from fighting my battle? Why do I have to be so powerless in the times that count!?

    Slowly, Deborah goes into her fighting stance. She¡¯s ready to throw her fireball at the armored crab. The moment her fireball hit the crab, it will be over for both of us.

    Can I only watch how our doom unfold!?

    ¡°Stopppppppp!!!!¡±

    That¡¯s not my scream. That may sounds like what I should be screaming right now, but that¡¯s not my scream.

    From the forest, a shadow emergs, right at the moment before the impact between the armored crab and Deborah. That thing is large, it¡¯s roughly the size of that armored crab, and that crab is already damn big to begin with. When that thing takes its entry, it rams itself right into the right side of the crab and blows it away. Deborah also stops her attack when she sees that thing.

    That creature is a spider. A very big black spider and a total nightmare to those who have arachnophobia. However, the spider doesn¡¯t seem to be an enemy. It¡¯s facing toward Naranath. On top of the spider, there is a girl with purple hair. As she stands firm on the spider¡¯s back, the girl loudly shouts.

    ¡°Stop right there, both of you!!!¡±

    ¡°Amadia¡­¡±

    I mumble. The girl gives us a quick glance before turning her total attention to Naranath.

    ¡°Stop this right now, Naranath! If you want me, then here I am! This is our personal problem, don¡¯t get them involved in this!¡±

    Naranath grits his teeth and clenches his fist. Paying no heed to the girl, he shouts orders to his familiar. The crab quickly responses and runs to his side when it gets its footing back, still looking unharmed despite taking the full force of the spider¡¯s ramming.

    With the appearance of Amadia and her familiar, this whole affair suddenly becomes a lot more complicated.

    ¡°Shut up! All of you¡­just die and die!¡±

    No negotiations, no lectures about a higher cause. The fight continues the moment Naranath gives his familiar the order to kill. This time, the armored crab brandishes its blade-pincers. It takes a lunge at Amadia¡¯s giant spider. However, if I can see the attack coming even at my position (behind Deborah¡¯s back), then there¡¯s no reason for Amadia to not seeing it coming.

    ¡°Atlach-Nacha!¡±

    The huge spider suddenly jumps. From thirty meters above the ground, it points its rear toward the armored crab and shoots several web bullets. The spider webs hit the crab with force as strong as a real elephant gun. However, all they managed to do are gluing the crab to the ground instead of dealing any significant damage. But maybe that is Amadia¡¯s intention all along, as her spider falls to the ground and smashes the crab on impact.

    ¡°Did that work?¡±

    I comment. As spectators, Deborah and I can only watch in awe of how the battle unfold. The drop attack from the spider leaves the surface full of dust, covering the aftermath of the fight. However, we don¡¯t have to wait long to see the after result: The crab is still as strong as ever, and it retaliates by stabbing the spider¡¯s body in return. The crab begins struggling to get away from the big spider, making the scene look like a rodeo ride with a spider on top and a crab at the bottom. As comedic as this is, it¡¯s not the time for me to have a laugh.

    ¡°Run, you two!¡±

    Amadia shouts as she narrowly escapes the crab¡¯s blade-pincers. Her words helps us realize it¡¯s not time for us to stand idly. But to run away when she¡¯s fighting for our sake? Really? Am I once again powerless to do anything for myself, for others?

    ¡°Tch.¡±

    Deborah tuts. She begins to run away, with me on her back. Neither of us are unable to say anything as the fight between the familiars is still going on behind our back. Before long, we can no longer hear any other sound aside Deborah¡¯s footsteps.

    Is this how it¡¯s going to end?

    Deborah keeps running and running. I have a feeling that with every she steps she take, little by little, everything I believed in begin to fade away. My ideal of not being a burden to anyone. My quest to be someone that people can rely on. My purpose to gain myself pride and honor. Yet, I can¡¯t even muster enough courage to do the right thing, to do what I¡¯m supposed to do right now.

    ¡°Are you content with this?¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    Suddenly, Deborah lets out a voice. Slowly, slowly, she stops her track and eventually stops moving. She doesn¡¯t look back, and just content with hearing my answer alone.

    ¡°You, who have tasted the fear of death. Right now, you have the right to choose your fate. One word, and I¡¯ll carry you outside of this battleground, but what awaits you after that¡­is the consequence that you¡¯ll have to face by yourself.¡±

    Says Deborah.

    ¡°But¡­if you don¡¯t want to do that, if your heart¡¯s telling you this is not the right thing to do, then show me your will. Show me¡­your resolve, Akuma.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    I fall into silence as I try to sort out my thoughts. Wait, what I am thinking? Do I even NEED to think about this!? My answer has always been with me from the start, and it¡¯s definitely not ¡°Running away¡±!

    ¡°Let me go, Deborah.¡±

    I say out loud.

    ¡°You sure?¡±

    ¡°Let me go!¡±

    I shout out loud.

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    In true Deborah fashion, immediately after her short response, Deborah drops me to the ground without giving any prior warning nor help. Well, maybe that¡¯s exactly what I need right now, a pump to remind myself of my moment of weakness.

    I pour my strength to my weakened legs and arms. This time, I won¡¯t let them fail me! Get up, goddamn it!

    ¡°Never again¡­I¡¯ll let others fight my battles¡­for me!¡±

    My left arm pushes my upper body up.

    ¡°Not you. Not Amadia.¡±

    With my right leg as a fulcrum, I push my remaining body off the ground and once again pridefully hold my head high to the sky as I stand firm with my own two legs.

    ¡°Not anyone. Not anymore.¡±

    However, my mortal body still wants to fail me again. My right leg gives out and almost make me fall again¡­if not for Deborah¡¯s arm holding me back and giving me some help to continue standing.

    ¡°You may want to fight your battles. But it won¡¯t hurt to get yourself some supports, right?¡±

    I¡¯m amused. To think Deborah of all people is the one who is spouting lines like that.

    ¡°Right. Let¡¯s go back.¡±

    With Deborah¡¯s help, we turn back to the direction of the fight. However, it seems like the fight can¡¯t afford to wait, so it decides to come to us instead.

    From afar, a spider suddenly flies to the area nearby. However, its landing isn¡¯t exactly good. This is very familiar to how the fight between the crab and the bear earlier ended. Let¡¯s hope the worst didn¡¯t happen.

    ¡°Amadia!¡±

    I shout. Together with Deborah, we walk to the site of the crash. When we get there, the spider is lying inside a small crater created from the impact, with its body¡¯s covered in stab wounds, along with several missing legs. Its master ¨C Amadia ¨C isn¡¯t far away from the spider. She¡¯s also lying on the ground. The girl may be unconscious, but her twitching body indicates she¡¯s still alive.

    ¡°You go to look after her familiar. I¡¯ll check out Amadia.¡±

    Deborah doesn¡¯t question my words. Between the two of them, the spider sustains more injuries than its master. It may die if it doesn¡¯t has any emergency medical attention right now, and between the two of us, Deborah is the mage with more proficiency in using healing spells.

    As Deborah begins to take a look at the spider, I also walk to Amadia¡¯s direction. With my hand, I hold her upper body up from the ground and begin giving a wound check. Aside from a small bleeding on her head due to impact with the ground, there seems to be no serious external injuries. But I shouldn¡¯t be optimistic at this moment.

    ¡°Sorry¡­I screwed up¡­¡±

    Slowly, Amadia mumbles. She¡¯s breathing heavily. I need to do something.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. We¡¯re here for you.¡±

    Quickly, I reach for the syringes inside my cloak and get a pain-killer medicine out.

    ¡°This may sting a little.¡±

    With my syringe, I inject the pain killer to the girl¡¯s arm. She grunts for a second, but the girl calms down after the medicine¡¯s effect kicks in. Slowly, Amadia regains her conscious back.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you run?¡±

    Still in the middle of regaining her breath, Amadia ask.

    ¡°Well, I just want to tell you that I still haven¡¯t done making your present in time. So, I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    The girl just gives me a weak laugh in reponse.

    ¡°Really? I¡¯m mad, you know. I thought¡­you forgot.¡±

    ¡°Almost. I almost forgot. But don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll definitely give it to you.¡±

    I answer.

    ¡°You better be.¡±

    Once again, the girl smiles. I can only smile in return to comfort the poor girl

    After Deborah is done healing the spider, she instantly turns to Amadia and casts a healing spell on her as well. Obviously, she does a better job with her healing spells than me and my pain-killers, but hey, it¡¯s something. Though, I¡¯m a little worried about the healing of the spider. Let¡¯s hope that the rules will tolerate the act of a master healing another¡¯s familiar.

    ¡°We don¡¯t have much time. Naranath and his familiar will soon find us.¡±

    When Amadia is recovered, she begins telling us of her earlier battle. Apparently, none of her attacks worked so far. That crab is as tough as a tank. No matter how strong she rammed, that crab didn¡¯t even flinch. All she did in that fight was getting her familiar a bunch of wounds on its body.

    ¡°This is futile.¡±

    Says Deborah. I know she may be able to defeat that thing if the rules didn¡¯t bind her hands, but life isn¡¯t that convenient, isn¡¯t it? Time is running out. I guess I can throw away a hope to win this competition the proper way, but ain¡¯t no way in hell I¡¯m gonna walk out of here without getting my payback to that piece of crab.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s not.¡±

    Deborah, and Amadia as well, look surprised as I reply.

    ¡°Amadia¡¯s fight, and my defeat. All of them were not in vain.¡±

    I may lost a battle, but ain¡¯t no way in hell I¡¯m gonna lose this war!

    ¡°That means¡­?¡±

    I nod to reply Deborah¡¯s question.

    ¡°I have a plan that may defeat that thing. But it can only work with the combined effort from all three of us.¡±

 Chapter 22: A drop of snow at the seasons start

    "A plan? Are you sure your plan will work?"

    Deborah throws me a look of disbelief. Well, the guy who just got himself beaten to a pulp suddenly announces he has a plan to defeat his bully. I won''t blame her since even I don''t know if my plan will work as intended. But¡­

    "Do any of you have a plan?"

    Suddenly, Amadia, who is fully healed by now, raises her hand.

    "¡­That doesn''t involve ramming that thing to death?"

    Predictably, Amadia lowers her hand and puts on her sad puppy face. Deborah just sighs as she scratches her head while brainstorming a plan of herself to no avail.

    "Okay, if you want to be the man in charge then do as you like. Tell us your plan, but make it quick."

    Come on. What are we? A bunch of kids still arguing over who get to be the boss?

    "Geez. Listen up girls, here''s the plan¡­"

    ¡­

    After several intel exchange with Amadia, my plan has been solidified with the help from Amadia''s own experience. I quickly tell the girls their roles before our time run out. The two of them accept their roles rather easy, maybe because I save the most dangerous role for myself. It can''t be helped¡­since it''s the role only I can do, and that''s not exactly a good thing in this situation.

    Before we know it, the armored crab manages to find its way here. Naranath however is nowhere in sight. This can be a good sign.

    "Commence operation!"

    My body still has yet to regain all of its strength, so once again I have to rely on Deborah in order to walk away. Amadia however has her own role to fulfill. The now fully healed spider is waiting for its master. Amadia jumps on to the back of the spider, she grabs a hold of it and orders it to jump up to the sky.

    Now, whether my plan works or not depend on the armored crab''s reaction.

    "Jump, damn it, jump."

    And jump it does. Taking the bigger bait, the armored crab decides to go after Amadia and her big ass spider. This totally confirm its master''s absence, and two of my theories as well.

    The first one is its intelligence. When its master is in range, the crab prioritizes his orders rather than its own instincts, as shown by the previous encounter between Amadia and Naranath. However, when the master is out of the picture, the crab instead prioritizes its own instincts for the hunt. It does not possess basic thinking abilities, but it still have some hunting instincts inside of it.

    And that''s where my second theory kicks in. How can a crab hunt without the ability to hear or see? It''s simple: Motion. I don''t know the exact mechanic, but the crab feels the motion of its prey in order to locate their position. I come up to this theory after I had another review at my first encounter with that damn crab. The moment I began to throw the pipe bomb behind its back, it reacted instantly and retaliated. Well, it seems to prioritize bigger motions, as shown by Amadia''s role as a bait earlier. But that isn''t important right now. She got its attention, and whether this plan works or not depends on how much time she can buy us, and how far can she lure it to the place where its master has no power over the crab''s actions.

    We have to move to phase two of the plan.

    "Do you know where you''re going?"

    "How hard can it be to find some vacant land?"

    Deborah nonchalantly answers my question. That''s not very reassuring, you know?

    "Can''t you walk faster?"

    Deborah asks.

    "Come on, I''m not healed yet."

    It''s pretty jarring since I''m struggling with my own healing process when the big ass spider earlier is already capable of jumping around after a medical session with Deborah. Seriously, I''m worse than a spider.

    "It can''t be helped."

    Deborah sighs as she replies. Suddenly, the girl drops my arm, and begins to¡­bridal carry me instead.

    "Wait wait wait! I''m fine with walking! Really!"

    "Shut your trap. We don''t have time to waste."

    And with that, Deborah carries me away on her arms, while running at full speed. Manly pride? What is that? I certainly don''t have one anymore.

    "I can''t be a groom anymore¡­"

    As swift as a wind, Deborah carries me across the forest. She seems to know her way around the forest really well. I guess I can rely on her in this aspect.

    It doesn''t take long until the torture of my pride is over and we get to the intended location: A big enough vacant land to execute my plan.

    "Okay okay, let me go."

    Wait, I almost forget.

    "And let me put my feet to the ground first. I said let me go, not drop me down."

    Deborah once again throws me another look of disbelief. Dear god, is this how you should treat the injured?

    It''s a good thing she listened to my words, for once. The girl gently lets me down to the ground. By now, my wounds are almost healed. I walk to the center of the vacant land, a place big enough to lay a trap and build a morgue for that damn crab.

    "I''ll get to work right away."

    I don''t have time to waste while Amadia is buying time for us. I get down on my knees and start drawing a magic circle, one big enough to contain that crab. However, it seems like I made some miscalculation. My drawing speed is too slow to make it in time.

    Just right at that moment, I see Deborah goes to the opposite of my direction, and she starts drawing as well.

    "You won''t finish this in time with that speed of yours. Let me help as well."

    I can only nod in response. I need all the help I can get right now.

    "You take that part, I''ll take this."

    Together, the both of us quickly finish drawing the magic circle. This may sounds weird, but magic circles can be drawn by more than two people, even if they were draw by the use of soul energy. But that isn''t important right now. We have to get the job done, and that''s it.

    "This is the manual type, so I''ll have to stay and active it by myself."

    I say to her as we finish with the final touch.

    "Are you really sure your plan will work?"

    Asks Deborah. Even after agreeing to go my plan, she still doesn''t seem convinced. Then again, does she even know how to fully 100% trust someone at something?

    "Come on, I''m not omniscient. There are things you can only find out by trying."

    I let out a weak smile as I take my position just outside of the magic circle. We have customized this magic circle to active only when its master order it to. Namely, hitting the activating switch themselves. A mere physical interaction by others will not active it. Right now, only I or Deborah can make this thing works. But¡­due to my own role, I''ll have to stay here to make it work myself.

    "You may die, you know?"

    "Yes, but I don''t intend to die here."

    Not until I have my payback, at least.

    Deborah sighs. She puts on her saddened face yet again. I try to smile in order to console the girl, but it doesn''t work as well as I thought.

    From our position, we can see Amadia''s fight against the crab up in the sky. Both side obviously don''t have the ability to fly, but seeing a battle between a spider and a crab in the middle of the blue sky is a rather¡­awesome moment in itself.

    Amadia, who''s currently on the back of her spider, suddenly casts some lightning magic. But rather than directly attacking the crab with her spell (which will get her expelled), the girl however imbues her own spider with her lightning spell instead. The spider glows purple for a second, until it shoots out several lightning bolts from its mouth toward the crab. The armored crab gets hit by the lightning bolts, but it shows no sign of pain, and continues its attacks on Amadia''s spider.

    I guess this marks the confirmation for my third and final theory: There''s nothing inside the crab. It doesn''t feel pain, because there are no flesh inside of its body to begin with. It is a literal walking armor that look like a crab, not a crab wearing an armor. I asked Amadia several questions about her fight with that crab earlier, and her answers confirmed my suspicions. When her spider attacked, the sounds after her attacks indicated that there was nothing under the crab. This raises more questions than answers. But it no longer matters to me anymore, whatever it really is, it won''t stop me from doing what I''m going to do.

    "Give her the signal, Deborah."

    After hearing my order, Deborah begins to gather a bunch of fire in her right hand. Aiming at the air, Deborah throws her fireball upward. It leaves a trail of fire behind on its path. When it reaches its peak, the fireball explodes. It''s like a one ball firework show, it makes me miss the old firework festivals back in my world. But this is no time to reminisce.

    When she catches the signal, Amadia orders her spider to shoot out a web at the crab, and leaves a string of web still connected to the spider''s rear. The spider suddenly pulls its butt, dragging it toward the crab, and the crab toward it as well. With the force of a highspeed truck, the spider rams the crab and shoots it down to the ground. Newton''s third law also kicks in, as the force from the impact also shoots the spider to the opposite direction. However, it lands pretty safely when the spider shoots another web at the trees in the forest, making itself a makeshift trampoline for safe landing. Using the bouncing of the web, the spider once again departs from the ground. This time, it lands to the place where we made the magic circle.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    "How''s your side, Akuma?"

    Asks Amadia when she finishes her landing.

    "Already done."

    I answer with a confident smile on my face.

    "Then, I shall fulfill my last task as well! Atlach-Nacha!"

    The girl begins ordering her own familiar to¡­dance. Well, she just orders her spider to jump up and down, stomping the ground in the process. It really looks like a cultural dance of the spider kind, though. This may seems ridiculous, but in order to lure the crab to the trap we laid, this is the best way we that we can think of. The more motions the spider made, the more tempting the bait becomes.

    However, there''re still several things left that need to be done.

    "Deborah, it''s time."

    I turn to Deborah and give her the cue.

    "Are you really sure about this?"

    "We don''t have time to argue anymore, okay?"

    Deborah doesn''t look too happy. Well, I''m sure I''m not in the position to feel happy as well, knowing what I''m going to do. But this is something that has to be done. I don''t have any other choice left, except from this.

    Deborah raises her hand toward me. Her lips start chanting the magic words. Soon, a faint light gathers near my legs, indicating the spell is in effect.

    The speed enhancement spell has once again been casted on my legs. For a limited time, my legs will be pushed to their utmost limits, and when they''re done, unbearable pain will follow and torment the one who dared to tap into this forbidden power. But that''s a risk I''m willing to take, and I don''t care, since I''m going to do something even more dangerous than that.

    From my cloak, I take out a syringe with a white liquid inside. My secret weapon, while I haven''t done any testing on it before due to the shortage of time, but right now, it doesn''t matter when the situation can get worse without the use of this stuff.

    I stab the syringe to my right arm and pump the liquid inside my veins. I throw away the syringe when I''m done. The only thing I can do right now¡­is waiting for the drug to take effect.

    From the sky, the giant enemy crab reveals itself as it takes a jump toward us. Knowing her role is over, Amadia also retreats, but not after giving me some words of encouragement.

    "May Lord Dargoth''s blessing brings you victory!"

    I just smile in return. The girl quickly takes her leave, along with Deborah, at first.

    "If you die here, I''ll kill you."

    Says Deborah, before she runs away as well.

    "Good luck with that."

    Once again, I smile in amusement. Silly girl, if I die here, how else can she kill me?

    "It''s here."

    I mumble to myself at the sight of the approaching crab. Just several seconds left before it lands. Right at that moment, I slam my hand to the magic circle, activating it.

    "Go to hell!"

    The very moment the crab''s legs touch the surface, the ground itself sinks at the places the crab''s legs touched, like a hole of quicksand. But this isn''t just a "mere" quicksand. The land itself extends to the crab''s legs and binds them like a chain. It doesn''t take long until half of its body is submerged under the ground. It gets trapped.

    This spell¡­the spell I and Deborah prepared, is the ¡¸Distortion¡¹ spell. It was also the spell I used in the exam earlier today in order to destroy the designated rock. Well, to deal with a crab this size, of course I and Deborah made several customizations, which included the binding properties. The plan at first was to sink that piece of crab deep into the ground, burying it with the earth, but seeing how it''s struggling to get out the trap, I see my backup plan will have its use after all.

    From my cloak, I take out my baby: A box that contain a RG Bomb, the kind that can destroy the hardest rocks. And I''m going to do to that crab what I have done to the rock in my earlier exam.

    "Urghh¡­!"

    I growl as my vision gets narrowed to a tunnel, signifying the effect from the drug I just used earlier. My throat is dry and hot as it it''s on fire. I can feel my heart is having its own flamenco dancing party in my chest. The sounds made by the crab gets quieter and quieter. Yes, it is working alright.

    The drug I used earlier was made from the ¡¸Spirit Calling¡¹ flowers, the ones Kardia used to decorate her room. Their pollen is said to cause hallucination and other undesirable effects to the mind of living beings, but after several closer inspections, I found out that all it did is to stimulate adrenaline, dopamine and norepinephrine. With the help from Kardia, we created this drug with the sole purpose to help me cope with the speed of Deborah''s enhancement spell. Namely, this drug''s purpose is to induce an artificial Tachy Psyche effect, or usually known as fight or flight response. In the trance I''m currently experience, time itself seems to have slow down, but it''s only in my mind. Just a matter of perception, like how I ended up in that dark cliff.

    Now, with all the pieces already fell into places, it''s paypack time!

    "Ughhhaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!"

    I scream like a beast as I carry the bomb while running to the crab. Feeling the motions I made, the crab reacts and swings its pincers toward me. However, with the god-sent speed granted to me by Deborah, and the mind capable of matching that speed, I easily dodge the blades and run along on the blades'' bodies in order to reach the crab''s main core.

    When I''m standing on its body, the crab violently shakes itself in an attempt to get me off to the ground.

    "Stay still while I kill you, you stupid crab!"

    I yelled while searching for holes in its body in order to shove the bomb inside. However, there are none big enough to do the job. Tch, I guess I''ll have to do this the hard way.

    "Eat bombs and die!"

    Choosing the joints that look weak, I shove several pipe bombs into those joints to make a hole for my purpose. I briefly run to the ground in order to avoid the explosion. When the job is done and a BOOM sound arrives, the close range explosion manages to put a dent on the crab this time. A hole is made on its body, while it isn''t big, but the size is still small enough to get the job done.

    "Arghghhhhhhhhhh!!!!"

    Feeling excited by the drug, I climb on the crab and push the RG bomb up to its hole, after I activated it, of course. When I confirm the bomb has been successfully planted, with all my might, I run off from the crab body.

    Right at this moment, the crab''s danger instinct kicks in. It struggles like there is no tomorrow and pushes itself off the ground, despite more than half of its body has already submerged into the earth. However, despite all of its effort, Deborah''s magic makes me far more than a match for the crab''s speed. I safely reach the forest in time, but not until I flip that piece of shit off one last time.

    "It''s already over!"

    The clock ticks. The timer is set. And the bomb does what it was made for.

    BOOM

    The crab explodes from the inside. Its bodies are scattered everywhere from the explosion. What remains of the crab are¡­nothing, since everything left of it have already been scattered away. Armors, blades, they are all useless now when the main body is gone for good.

    As the sight of the crab''s defeat reaches their sight, the girls step out of the forest when they know it''s safe to do so.

    "We did it."

    I speak. However, the two girl don''t answer, and I know why. Naranath was a friend of Amadia, now she played a hand in the destruction of his familiar. It''s like killing the pet dog of your former friend. It never feel good. And Deborah, well, she''s looking at me, knowing I can''t keep this victory charade any longer when my own clock is still ticking as well.

    From the other side of the forest, Naranath finally catches up to us. However, the result is probably something he doesn''t account for. His familiar right now has become a bunch of scraps, while his enemy is still living and walking. The guy grabs a remaining blade from the crab and looks toward us. His face is expressionless, but I can feel anger is boiling inside his heart.

    "All of you will pay for this. Mark my word."

    After he''s done with his threat, Naranath just simply takes that blade and calmly walks away.

    As much as I want to comment about this, I''m afraid my time has run out as well.

    And so, I fall unconscious, again, as my body gives out to the drug''s effect and the feedback from the enhancement spell.

    ------------------------------

    The infirmary is rarely busy, one must wonder what is the point to build an infirmary this big when people rarely uses it. And today is empty just like always. Except from one patient, and one visitor, there are no other persons at the infirmary right now.

    Akuma is soundly sleeping on a white bed inside the infirmary, it doesn''t seems like he''s going to wake up any minutes. The vase beside his bed is full of fresh flower, gifts from the friends who paid him a visit, and from some sympathizers who watched his fight against Basatan and admired him for his courage.

    However, gifts are still gifts. People come and people go, but those who stay by the side of a sleeping patient are the true gifts a patient can receive, and only one does.

    "Deborah."

    The girl''s name gets called, averting her attention away from the ¡¸The Knight and the Flame Dragon¡¹ novel on her hand as she looks at the person who just called her name. To the direction of the infirmary entrance, Deborah gazes at the approaching Headmaster, who''s still in her usual attire, along with her own staff.

    "You didn''t leave even when it''s two days already?"

    "That isn''t something you should concern about."

    Deborah answers Nilrem''s question. The Headmaster can only smile in amusement.

    "Your friends have already prepared for departure. You don''t want to bid them farewell?"

    "It''s just a month, it''s not like they''re going to die somewhere."

    The Headmaster is talking about the upcoming New Year vacation. When the exam is over and the results are posted, the following day is also the day the students of Melas make their leave to visit their home until vacation is over.

    However, for some reason, Deborah is still here, despite the New Year vacation has already started.

    "If you don''t have any business here then leave me be. I don''t want to see your face."

    "Come on, you''re being cold to your guardian, you know?"

    "If you''re indeed my guardian then don''t go and do actions that say otherwise!"

    Deborah gives the Headmaster a cold glare before resuming the reading of her novel. The Headmaster just sighs as she walks closer to the girl, preparing to go into the main business.

    "I have yet to get a chance to ask you about this¡­but¡­why did you decide to make him disqualified from the competition that day?"

    Deborah quietly grunts. She closes her book once again, but delays an answer to the Headmaster. Without looking at the Headmaster, the girl speaks.

    "The conditions you gave me were either Akuma enter the Familiar competition, or he get expelled, right?"

    "Well, yes, indeed. Those were the two."

    Deborah gives a pause before she continues.

    "Then I don''t see any meaning for him to fight "after" he "entered" the competition."

    The Headmaster looks confused for a second, before realizing the meaning behind the girl''s words.

    "Ho, you exploited a loophole. Not bad."

    The conditions have never been about "winning", it was "entering" the contest or get expelled. Deborah exploited that to her own agenda. But¡­

    "It would be easier if he just listened to me for once, then all of this¡­would never happen."

    One may argue that if Deborah was more honest, things wouldn''t happen this way. But then again¡­

    "Stupid guy. You and your stubbornness."

    Deborah gives the sleeping patient a glare before returning to stare at the Headmaster herself. The woman just chuckles in amusement.

    "Ho ho. Interesting. This is better than I thought."

    "What do you mean by that?"

    The Headmaster gives a pause before answering.

    "Listen well, Deborah. Even if you successfully exploited the loophole from my condition, I will expel him as if he failed my conditions as well."

    "What!? Why!?"

    Deborah shouts. She stands up from her seat and drops the novel to the ground. However, her gaze is still fixed on the mouth of the Headmaster.

    "Are you that petty!? Aren''t you the Headmaster here?"

    "No no, I admit, your idea was brilliant, but you didn''t account for everything well enough."

    The Headmaster smils again. She seems amused by Deborah''s reaction.

    "What do you mean by that?"

    "There was another condition I told you that day. It was about his performance, his school results."

    "That¡­"

    Deborah suddenly remembers. The promise of performance Akuma gave to the Headmaster at his enrollment. The Headmaster told her about that, but to think she would apply it to this situation¡­

    "Even if you successfully pulled him out of the competition, I won''t expel him for not entering the competition, yes. But I would expel him due to his performance failing to match my expectation instead. Deborah, you almost doomed him to the bad end you tried to avoid, by your own hands."

    "It¡­can''t be¡­"

    Deborah looks stunned. Her lips are trembling from the terrible truth she just heard. Her gaze is shaking in disbelief.

    "Deborah, you didn''t save him. The boy saved himself. If he didn''t persist on fighting and give up, he would essentially doom himself. I would expel him right after that. But it seems like fate still want him around after all."

    Still shocked by the truth, Deborah can''t react from the woman''s words. She can''t even notice the appearance of the witch Walpurga from the entrance as she approaches the Headmaster for something.

    "We found several traces of infiltration at the Chapel."

    "I see. I''ll be there in a moment."

    The witch teacher takes her leave. The infirmary room returns to the quiet place it once was. The old witch and the young girl exchange gazes, until the old witch also excuses herself, but not without giving the girl some last replies.

    "Perhaps you should open your heart more, Deborah. You can''t fight the world by yourself."

    The witch leaves afterward. Deborah falls silent, both because there is no one to talk to, and because the girl herself doesn''t have anything left to talk about.

    Deborah throws a gaze at the sleeping young man, before walking toward the window for some fresh air.

    As she opens the window, a cold breeze flows inside. Today is colder than the other days.

    And from the sky, it falls.

    Snow, snow drops. It''s snowing. The first snow of the season, rapidly coloring the land in white. A snowdrop falls on Deborah''s hand. The cold of the snow melts from the heat in her hand. The girl feels it, and it mends her emotion-filled heart.

    All the signs have already shown themselves. There''s no mistaking it.

    Winter has come.

 Chapter 23: The war to end all war

    The first day in the Demon Realm''s calendar finally arrives. The 1st of the Month of Dark, P.D 1014.

    Snow already covered the land in white. Winter is finally here, and so, animals also take their turn to hibernate themselves through the cold and harsh Winter. Yes, winter is the time to rest from the hard work in Fall for men and animals alike. A chance to be together with their family, feasting on good food, engaging in random chatters, solely to waste time until the cold winter is over and the long-awaited spring arrives.

    Yet, despite the cold and the harshness of winter, men still prevail as the most foolish creatures ever walked the earth.

    Legions upon legions of men cladded in armor begin to gather at all sides of the vast Asphodel Meadows. From the west are the humans and their allies from the Nine Kingdoms Alliance, and at the east are the grunt soldiers of the Demon Realm. Despite the heavy snowing, each side all seem to be ready for a bloody fight. What looks to be the beginning of another war is, however, just an "annual" demonstration of power from the two opposing factions. This demonstration consists of both side gathering every men they can, outfit them in imposing armors and arm them with cheap weapons before sending them all to stand still under the cold till the end of the day. After ten years of constant showcases of power, the soldiers from both sides more or less mutually agreed that this day is the traditional "Get yourself a cold" day.

    This day is originated from the ceasefire ten years ago, in the aftermath of the Hundred Years War. The negotiation back then ended when both side agreed to stop fighting for a period of time. However, due to the circumstances in that time period, the demons lost a huge chunk of their former frontier ¨C the Primero region ¨C to the occupation of the Alliance at the end of the war, and the ceasefire denied their chance to reclaim. They still needed time to rebuild their now-weakened army, however, so the attack plan was stalled. In fear of retaliation during their own recovery, the Alliance invested a lot of resources and manpower to the defense of their new frontier ¨C called by the demons as the Dark Line. In a fit of paranoia, the top guys in charge of the Alliance believed that their enemy might attack when they least expected it, especially during the Demon Realm''s sacred holiday. And so, at every start of Winter, the Alliance mobilized every men in their disposal in preparation to counter the invasion attempts from the demons in their imagination. Ironically, the Demon Realm''s top brass actually interpreted this as an attempt to invade them instead. So, they also gathered their own men at the start of every winter in order to bolster the defense of their land from threats made by the imagination of the Alliance''s top heads. Each aggression from one side led to the paranoia of the other. A grand scale comedy that amused even the now-absent gods.

    And so, this charade has already going on for ten long winters. While there were still some battles here and there, none actually reached the scale required in order to reigniting the great war of the past. A common belief from both side is: The moment a drop of blood is shed in this day will mark the beginning of this century''s greatest war. But both sides dared not to make it happen¡­at least for the time being, until they have enough men to throw away and enough steel to break apart.

    The lands in Primero region are vast, but their resources aren''t actually worth enough to defend to the last man. However, the people from the Kingdom of Metallum ¨C the kingdom at the farthest east of the West continent ¨C want anything but another war on their own shores. That caused them to become the biggest investor of soldiers to maintain and defend the territories in this one-ocean-away realm.

    The soldiers of Metallum make up the bulk of the Alliance''s infantry. While a set of full plate armor was once the privilege only for the noble knights, this kingdom of Metal pride themselves as the only army who can brag that every single one of their soldiers are armed to the teeth! The common attire for a son of Metallum fighting here is a full set of iron armor, along with an iron shield and an iron sword. The most special thing about their equipment is that they are all self-sufficient. Yes, their equipment are not provided by the military, but from their own family instead, either self-made or bought from an iron workshop with reasonable price. It''s a family tradition of Metallum to provide their sons with weapons and armors before they go off to battle. This is a cultural thing, due to this kingdom being a nation of blacksmiths. There''s an old custom from Metallum which is to present a hammer, a pitch-fork and a sword in front of a one-year old child. If that child picks a hammer, he will become a blacksmith. The pitch-fork is a farmer. And the sword, a soldier.

    However, no matter how strategically important the Primero region is, constantly defending a vast chunk of land like this will inevitable put a dent on the occupier''s economy. And indeed, it has. Metallum can''t bear the cost of defending Primero alone, after drafting a lot of their men and contributing tons and tons of weapons and resources. And so, that''s where the other kingdoms jump in, in the form of military and supply aids, along with the provision of advisors and generals. They get the benefit of having a sturdy defense wall just by opening their wallets and sending a few men. Of course, Metallum''s King back then ¨C the late King of Iron ¨C didn''t want to be used as a mere puppet, so he demanded the other kings to send their own armies as well. After years of arguing, the other kings agreed to send their own men to the frontier, little by little, until this coalition army gained the strength it has nowadays.

    Then again, it would seem like being petty is a requirement to become a King in the West continent. The amount of men sent by each Kingdom barely qualified as a regiment, let alone an army. Even if the number steadily rise higher with the passing of time, the King of Iron wasn''t exactly pleased. Fearful of the demons'' army rapid recovery, the King demanded the other Kings to send a huge chunk of their army to the Primero region for the purpose of "field training exercise" during the demons'' new year. The other kings complied in order to stay on the good side of the King of Iron, but they still have their own condition: That is to withdraw the borrowed forces after the end of the new year day.

    Yes, these vast, thousands upon thousands strong armies are only here just for a day to show off their might, before withdrawing to their own land. Another charade made by the kings in the name of defending their lands.

    It''s not a far sketch to say that nine out of ten men stationed at this land wouldn''t want to be here if they had a choice, the one guy that says otherwise probably belongs to a mercenary group. Yes, when you have the money to throw but don''t have enough men to send, and there are a bunch of mercenaries eagerly to kill for some shekels, why not hire them and get the trouble over with? And so, alongside with the main army, the kings decided to employ these men who kill for vices and greed. Using mercenaries have its own perks, you don''t have to care about these mad men and just use them like disposable tissue. If ten die, simply hire a hundred more. They don''t get covered or protected by the laws of warfare, so they are a good tool to use for dirty jobs that the normal army can''t partake without consequences.

    There are still a lot of things to say about the armies of the Heaven Realm, but if we list every single one of those right now, it will take a whole day!

    On the opposite of the Alliance''s coalition army, the Demon Realm''s army at the Dark Line is made from one or two races only, rather than the mess the Alliance called an army. Demon Realm''s army, usually called the Regular army, are mostly consist of the human''s dark counterpart ¨C the Devilmen. While Demon Realm is also a multiracial nation, they know even if they are united under a common banner, it won''t be easy to have and maintain a unified army made from various races. The more exotic races have their own tasks in demon''s military hierarchy, and so, they are stationed far away from the Dark Line, at the southern part of the East continent, leaving the Devilmen as the primary force to defend the frontier. However, the Orcs have the privilege to join the Devilmen in battle, due to how powerful an ally this race is and how the two have a very odd friendship, despite the¡­tragedies from their past. Whenever the frontier is in danger, the Orcs mobilize all their forces and go to help out. However, days like these where both side engage in a staring contest don''t sit well with the Orcs, so their absent today among the demon''s ranks is justified.

    The Regular army is divided into three section: The North Corp, the Central Corp and the South Corp. Each corp is about 50000 men strong, guarding their own assigned sections. While in term of numbers, the Alliance''s coalition army dwarfs the demons'' by miles, but a common Devilman has twice the strength of a regular human, and each of them also have their own trump cards to play in order to even the odds. Numbers are not the deciding factor in this kind of war, even when quantity is a quality in its own.

    The regular army is not alone, however. They have a helping hand from the cadets of Melas. These young students have undergo enough military training to function as elite soldiers. While the main task of the regular army is to make the bulk of the defense line, the cadets'' missions are more varied, ranging from recon, escort, support, reinforcement to assassination, spying and sabotage.

    No matter what you are, as long as you''re standing on the Dark Line, you will have your own purpose, be it a soldier among the living, or an immobile corpse among the dead.

    -------------------

    ¡¸Asphodel Meadows - Central¡¹

    Ever since the New Year''s morning, several legions from the Central Corp already gather at the east of this vast meadow. Men upon men clad in exotic armors march to their designated areas and assume their formation. Each regiment has their own type of armor, which differ in designs. Unlike the human-like standard armor counterpart of their enemy, the demons made their armor based on the images of monsters to strike fear to the enemy. It''s also a way to differentiate soldiers from different regions, which each places having their own culture and belief to engrave on their armor design.

    On their opposite, their enemy also do the same with their own men. Their banners are held high among the forests of men, with each banner belongs to various vassal forces loyal to the crown of Metallum. Alongside them are small flags for smaller forces, namely the mercenaries under their employment. Mercenaries don''t have their own type of armors to distinguish themselves as a single force, so they use flags and flags bearers instead. Each flag indicates a different mercenary group. The more flags they hold, the bigger their group is.

    And now, after playing the mind game of formation strategy, the two sides will now proceed to begin the yearly epic staring contest till the end of the day.

    Snow has already colored the meadow in white. Yet, it keeps falling and doesn''t seems to stop any moment. Heavier, and heavier. Colder, and colder. One may wonder if a snowstorm is going to come.

    Despite that, the men from both side don''t seem to flinch even from the harsh weather. But the question is: For how long?

    "This is so irritating!"

    Whispers a soldier among the demons'' ranks. He''s wearing a grey armor, along with a face concealing helmet in the shape of a wolf, while holding a spear in one hand and a shield with a wolf emblem in the other.

    Normally, chatters aren''t allowed when the soldiers are in formation. But that doesn''t stop the soldiers from whispering to each other to kill time. Of course, the higher ranking officers may catch and punish them for this undisciplined behavior of theirs, but then again, they are punished only when they get caught.

    "What good will come from whining? Just shut up, will ya?"

    Says another soldier standing in the same formation.

    "Arghhh! Damn it. You''re saying like you don''t want to go home in time for the New Year instead of standing here in this shitty place!"

    The soldier is talking about a custom among the grunt soldiers at the frontier. Knowing how hard it can be for the soldiers to fight so far away from home, before the start of new year, the commanders of each legion will nominate a bunch of outstanding soldiers and grant them a short vacation home. The thing is, what the commanders may see as "outstanding" really depends on their subjective view, so a little bribe to stay away from this shithole of a place for a brief time isn''t exactly unheard of.

    "I missed my girlfriend."

    Says a third soldier who decided to join in the chatter.

    "She probably dumped you for some rich guy already."

    Again, another joins the fray. Justified, as a jovial chatter may bring some warmth for the soldiers amidst the white snow field.

    "Hey hey, I believe in my girl. She won''t betray me."

    "Yeah, keep believing."

    Before the chatter can continue however, it seems like the commander of this group is catching on to something and decides to give a glance at the soldiers. Of course, they shut their trap right before the soldiers get themselves some punishment given by the commander. Only when the commander decides to do his own thing do the soldiers resume their little chatter.

    "Urghhh. I want to go home. I can''t believe that coward from the scouting squad actually got chosen to go home instead."

    "You mean that newcomer Lapidoth? Come on, stop being a petty little shit, you twat."

    "But I swear! How can a guy who always chicken out from a crowded fight got chosen? He probably bribed the commander just to get his ass home!"

    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Several soldiers sigh in unison.

    "Come on, let''s face it, getting yourself into a bunch of men beating the tar out of each other is nothing more than a glorified suicide. We''re not the Orcs, damn it, so stop thinking on the same page with them."

    Once again, the commander gives the soldiers a glance, and they quickly shut up before returning to chat again. On the opposite of their location, more and more men from the Alliance''s army arrive and begin to take their formation as well.

    "Geez. They keep coming in droves."

    One soldier wearing a boar helmet comments.

    "Just for today only though. I heard that in order to compensate for the numbers, those brats from Melas will have to get their asses over here as well."

    "I pity those kids, really. Fighting a war the grown-ups brought upon them."

    "It''s their choice. Can''t blame them if they want to shed blood on their own accord. We, on the other hand, just want the paycheck."

    Right at that moment, another soldier interjects in.

    "But did we actually earn them though, when our job is staring at the enemy hard enough and hope they all die?"

    "You forgot the monsters slaying part."

    "The kids partake that as well, even more often than us. I have a feeling that they are the ones who are really fighting this war, not us."

    All the soldiers sigh at the same time.

    "I feel useless. The helmet doesn''t help, really. It''s like I''m a minor character waiting to be killed in a shitty novel or something."

    "Minor? Stop making yourself look important! From what I can see, you''re nothing more than a mere nameless grunt character that will die no matter what!"

    "Geez. Just stop it, will ya? Stop making me feel so depressed."

    A soldier sighs yet again.

    "When will our torment end¡­I wonder?"

    "Just wait for one more year, lads."

    Suddenly, a strange voicearrives, one that doesn''t belong to any of the soldiers. In front of the soldiers are their own commander, who''s keep giving glances to the young soldiers beneath his rank.

    "Commander!"

    All the soldiers straighten their backs and get a firm hold of their spears.

    "One more year, and we can kiss the Dark Line goodbye, lads!"

    "That means¡­"

    All the soldiers know what the commander is implying.

    "Just bear with it for another year. Until then, fulfill your own duty, soldiers! No, demons of the Demon Realm!"

    "Sir yes sir! We shall give our life to the Realm, sir!"

    Say the soldiers in unison. With this, the commander once again leave to fulfill his own duty. Despite the lack of punishment for breaking military''s rules, the young soldiers still feel inclined to keep the silence due to guilt.

    It isn''t long until they continue their chatter, though. It is too cold to stay still under the snow. Chatter is the only thing that can warm up people withstanding the harshness of Winter, beside a warm bonfire and a bottle of wine, of course.

    "Is it just me, or the snow is falling even heavier?"

    A soldier notes as he looks in front of the field. The sky and the land are practically colored white at this moment. Vision on the opposing army is no longer clear for the demons'' eyes, but they don''t seem to be on the move, so the soldiers don''t feel worried and just blame it on the bad weather. But they can''t help but feel something''s not right.

    "Probably because of bad weather. This isn''t the first time it happened."

    "Yeah, maybe he''s right."

    The topic quickly changes into something else.

    "Hey, let''s hope that all of us can go home together at the end of this war"

    Says a demon soldier.

    "Come on, what are you, a girl? What''s with the sissy line?"

    "Hey I''m being serious right now. You don''t know what''s going to happen in a war. I would really miss chatters like this if some guy in this group didn''t make it."

    All the other guys fall silent.

    "Geez. Stop being so sentimental. You''re making me wanna cry."

    "Heh, what a hypocrite. But¡­in way, I want it to come true as well."

    "He''s right. I still have a girlfriend waiting home. I can''t allow myself to die h-"

    Before the soldier can finish his sentence, an arrow suddenly comes from nowhere and pierces through his wolf helmet and his forehead, killing him instantly. A soldier''s life is lost, signaling an upcoming attack from their human enemy.

    But that is the least of the soldiers'' worries.

    "His crystal is broken! Get away!"

    From the corpse of the dead Devilman, a dark cloud suddenly emerges from the mouth of his wolf helmet. It shrouds the whole dead body and begins to transmogrify the young soldier to a hairy beast with a goat-like skeletal head. It has arms similar to a human being if stretched longer than necessary. Its body is covered in a black hide with no visible flesh. There are no traces left of the former dutiful soldier, only a demonic beast remains.

    "It''s a Baphomet- Devi-"

    With a surge from the ground, the goat demon easily snaps the head of the nearest soldier like a toothpick. The now-headless body pours out streams and streams of blood, dyeing the white snow beneath in a pool of red blood.

    The other demon soldiers don''t just stand there and do nothing. With spears and swords in hand, they strike their former comrade in a coordinated attack from all sides. However, the goat demon is too nimble. It jumps like a monkey to escape from the deadlock made by other soldiers. The soldiers anticipated this, so they have a squad waiting for it to land and attack.

    CLANG!

    But they prove to be useless as well. Its hide is tougher than an iron armor, to the point even swords and spears can''t reach its flesh. The same can be said for its skeletal goat head.

    "So this is¡­an ancient devil''s power."

    Powerless before the ancient beast, the soldiers can only stand and look as it continues to wreck their own formation. From soldier to soldier, it crushes them like they are just a bunch of rag dolls. When the soldiers resort to the use of magic, it kills all of the casters before they get a chance to beat it down with their magic.

    "Ghehhhhhhh!"

    The goat demon howls. However, right at that moment, before it can continue its rampage, a man riding a big wolf takes a surge toward it and easily slashes the head off its neck! The goat head is now lying on top of the white snow, yet its body is still standing with blood bursting through the now severed neck, and only staying there, no longer moving.

    "Commander!"

    Says the soldiers with relief. However, this is no time for them to relax, and the commander knows that.

    "Men, get into the line formation! Prepare for unexpected enemy attacks!"

    The commander swings his sword as he rides his ferocious wolf across this army to relay orders to his men. Right at that moment, another arrow find its path toward the head of the commander.

    However, a commander is not a mere soldier. Before he ends up in the same fate as his own soldier, the helmeted commander takes a swing and slashes the upcoming arrow in half, effectively saving himself¡­and successfully locates the position of his enemies as well.

    "Out in the meadows! They are hiding under the snow!"

    As the commander points his sword toward the field, the mysterious attackers decide to show themselves when they no longer have the need to hide. From the ground, men cloaked in white camouflage sheets begin standing up. With how heavy the snow is falling, it''s hard for the commander to estimate the enemy''s numbers. He quickly gives up gathering information when there''re still a lots of things that needed to be done.

    "Light up the signal! Alert the other armies about this attack!"

    As ordered, a soldier quickly grabs a burning torch and climbs to the top of a newly-built wooden watch tower holding a pile of straw on top of it. However, before he can do his duty and alert his allies, an enemy among the attacking party throws away his white sheet and reveals himself to be a huge, muscular blonde archer with pointy ears and a magnificent beard. He''s holding a wooden bow half as big as he is. The man loads an arrow to his bow, he takes aim and shoots. The arrow goes straight through the head of the torch-holding soldier, pulling him away from the tower and to the ground, even though the archer only have a second to aim, and snow is dropping heavily around, not to mention the iron helmet the soldier wore. Such marksmanship can''t be found among human archers.

    "An elven archer!"

    Says the commander when he catches a glimpse at the enemy''s archer. He knows the elves are superb archers, but this is the first time he saw an elf with the muscles and the masculinity of an Orc. But that isn''t important right now.

    "I have to take care of this before the whole legion turns to chaos!"

    Thinks the commander. Knowing there''re still other commanders to replace him, and how important it is to swiftly deal with these enemies. The commander decides to get up close and personal with the enemy in white sheets. He begins to relay the orders before leading the charge.

    "Squad 1 to 4 of the 4th Legion, follow me to intercept the enemy! The others remain in formation and try to alert the other armies! Get the archers ready to shoot anything approaching us!"

    Riding on top of his trusty Warg, the commander takes charge with five hundred men running behind his back. The men yell as they begin charging at the enemy.

    The men in white also fully reavle themselves. They are roughly a hundred men strong. With how little men they have, fighting against the upcoming soldiers isn''t much different from knocking on Death''s door. Or is it?

    -Fino! Go do your thing!

    Yells the muscular elf.

    -Roger!

    Right at that instance, a man still cloaked in his white sheet begins runing toward the demon army, alone. He is followed by the remaining men not long after, though. All of them are battle ready, but facing a five hundred strong demon force with a handful of a hundred humans is too foolish.

    With the Warg as his ride, the commander obviously can approach his enemy faster than his own men. The closest enemy in front of his eyes are the one called Fino, who''s still hasn''t take off the white sheet covering his figure. But that doesn''t matter to the man in charge when he''s going to dye it red with his enemy''s blood.

    "For the Realm!"

    The commander yells. He swings his sword downward at the enemy¡­

    CLANG!

    ¡­only to get his swing blocked by a nigh-crystal-clear broadsword, which is hidden beneath his white sheet. The one called Fino tosses the white sheet to the direction of the commander. As swift as a sparrow, the commander once again swings his sword through the white sheet, slashing it in half in an attempt to counter the attack from the blind-spot of his enemy.

    However, the commander quickly loses sight of his enemy, only to find out he''s aiming to attack his ride instead.

    An uppercut slash. The one named Fino slashes through the head of the Warg and to the commander himself. Before his imminent death, in an attempt to defend his life, the commander tries to use his sword to block the attacking blade.

    CLANG!

    But, it proves to be a futile attempt. The nigh-crystal-clear broadsword cuts right through his own sword, and slashes him into half.

    The commander grunts as half of his body falls to the ground. He still have several seconds before his life gives away. The commander takes a look at his slayer as he lays dying. The one named Fino is a young man wearing light leather armor, not unlike your average drafted militia you can find in the Humans'' countries. He''s a teenager with brown hair and sky blue eyes. He''s handsome, in a country boy way. A completely normal soldier drafted to fight the war, such a shame to die under the blade of one so young. However, it''s not how low-born the one who slew him that makes the commander regret his defeat, nor does the strange looking sword on his hand.

    No, it is the shining yellow tattoo on the back of his right arm that irritates the commander. It''s a light seal, the one granted to chosen newborns as they welcome their new life in this world. The mark of a born-hero.

    "You''re¡­a ¡¸Hero¡¹¡­"

    As he holds his hand trying to reach the young man, the commander''s life finally gives out, and he dies. His arm drops to the snow, clenching a fist as a symbol of his regret. The young man only gives his fallen enemy a quick nod to pay his respect, before reassuming the fight for the living.

    "Commander¡­! You bastard!"

    Yell the remaining soldiers as they witness the brief fight earlier. They all take charge at the young men, with full intent to kill and a thirst for vengeance within their hearts.

    The young man holds his strange broadsword to the front before chanting some sort of spell. The sword suddenly glows and radiates a flash of light, blinding the still-charging soldiers and halts them from their path.

    When the light runs out, before their eyes, the young man is no longer alone. Behind him is a hundred men with varied armaments and no uniform nor standard to prove they are from a proper army. There are warriors, mages, even priests and Beastmen. A ragtag bunch of misfits assembled together with the sole reason is to fight in this war. A band of mercenaries, led by one who they called a Hero.

    The young man points his sword toward the demons of the Demon Realm as he loudly announces his will.

    -My name is Sera Fino, Hero of the¡¸Empyrean Mercenaries¡¹ ! Demons, prepare to die !

    Swords drawn. Blood shed. Corpses fall. Men fight. Demons fight. A cycle of hatred that can never be resolved. With this marks the start of the greatest war of this century, the war to end all war.

    The Winter War.

 Chapter 24: The day of ignorance

    When I wake up, I am told by the nurses that New Year has already came. Apparently, I have been in a coma for three days straight. After some checkup, the doctors tell me I have regained enough strength to function like normal. While it''s possible for me to discharge right now, the doctor insists on having me stay for a longer while. I refuse, of course, since I don''t want to spend the first day of new year in the infirmary.

    And so, they have no options left beside letting me go, though not after giving me a schedule for medical checkups and a standard-issue crutch for me to support myself, since I''m not one hundred percent healed yet.

    That''s the story behind the reason why I''m using a crutch to walk around this castle.

    Not a very interesting story to kill time, I guess. But then again, I just spent three day in a coma. Some random rubbish are what I need right now to keep my mind working. Believe it or not, when I just woke up, I almost forgot what happened and why did I end up in the infirmary. Eventually, they all come back to me, everything about that day. The competition, the fight with Naranath''s familiar, and Deborah''s little stunt. And of course, it just had to end with me falling down unconscious, again.

    I don''t think this has anything to do with Deborah''s enhancement spell. Rather, I think it''s because of the drug I used back then (temporary named ¡¸Rush¡¹) to combat that crab. Well, when you used drugs to stimulate your adrenaline beyond its limit, I guess I should expect something like this would happen.

    Come to think of it¡­I use guns, play with bombs and engage in drugs. Since when did the thug life choose me?

    "Jesus¡­it''s freezing."

    I''m practically breathing fog right now. While my cloak is doing a good job of keeping my body warm, my face however is unprotected from the cold. Last month''s temperature is nothing when compared to this day. So winter has finally come, heh?

    I guess I shouldn''t waste more time here talking to myself. Time to get shit done.

    With the help of my crutch, I walk to the main hallway at the castle''s center. The reason for why I want to come here is very simple.

    "So this is where they posted the test results."

    Before I can take my time and look for my name however, my focus averts to another thing that catches my attention.

    I see no students. None at all, despite this being the main hallway - a hub area used as a gateway to reach practically everywhere in the castle. The students have been replaced by soldiers instead. People clad in exotic and animal-like armors, wielding swords and spears while casually strolling around the place. While I don''t think they mean any harm, the looks they give me however isn''t exactly pleasant or friendly. They are filled with cautiousness, as if I''m a detestable pest, only kept alive by the cloak and the armband I wear.

    I should quickly warp this up. I don''t want to be here any longer, especially when these people are around.

    "Hmm. They divided the results from department to department."

    I quickly search for my name at the Alchemy Art''s test result. While I don''t have any hope to begin with, I still start by searching my name among the top ten highest. I''m not surprised when my name doesn''t come up, though. After another look, I find myself at rank 19th. It''s a passable rank that I can be content with, for now. My field practice test (a.k.a blowing the rock) result is rather high, while the others are pretty average. Well, I have a very good tutor to help me pass the tests, but that doesn''t change my lack of knowledge from the sudden enrollment. Said tutor''s name is also at the top of the test result''s board. Yes, Kardia is ranked number one among the Alchemy Arts''s first year. All of her results are pretty high, though the students below her only need several more points to dethrone her from the top. Close one there, Kardia. I hope helping me with my study isn''t the reason why it was such a close call for her.

    Next, I turn my gaze to the War Art''s result. While most of the names are unfamiliar to me, I can easily search for Caelan''s name by searching from the bottom. This department is far more numerous than my own, so of course, the ranking won''t end with just two digits. Luckily, Caelan''s rank among his department is 99th, a close call there. He did pretty badly at subjects that require a working brain, but the guy easily excelled at the physical tests, with scores even higher than those on top of him. Why am I not surprised?

    Finally, I give a glance at the Magic Art''s board. It''s pretty easily to look for the names worth seeing, since all of them are in the top ten. Iola is ranked 7th. Amadia is ranked 2nd. And of all people, the novel fanatic ¨C Deborah ¨C claimed the 1st rank as her own domain. As expect of Miss Perfect. I''m more surprised to see Amadia at the second place though. You''ll never know that girl is actually the smart type. But then again, intelligence is not wisdom ¨C says Akuma, a self-proclaimed wise man.

    This may sound random, but seeing the names on the board suddenly make me remember something. It''s a story told to me by a nurse. She said that a bunch of people paid me a visit during my short coma. However, there was one girl who stayed by my side for two days straight. When I asked who might that girl be, and what was her body features, the nurse said she doesn''t know, since she heard it from another co-worker who had already went home the day before I wake up. She assumed that was my girlfriend, which I don''t have any at the moment. That piques my interest, though. Just who might that be? Kardia? Amadia? Iola? Or some random girl who fell for me from my display of courage in the competition?

    The last one I would expect is Deborah. But then again, this is Deborah we''re talking about. There''s no way in hell that girl would use her precious time waiting for me to wake up, right? Right?

    "Oh, Akuma!"

    Suddenly, I hear a familiar voice. When I turn back, I see Iola who is already standing near me, without me noticing.

    "Happy new year!"

    The girl cheerfully speaks. Iola''s usually the gloomy type, but I guess the last thing you should do in the first day of new year is being gloomy.

    "Happy new year."

    I answer. Right now, Iola isn''t wearing her normal attire as a cadet of Melas. She has already switched to a brown common dress with a short coat on the top, like a lady from the Victorian era. Instead of shoes like normal, the girl is wearing boots, the type for travelers. The only thing she kept from her everyday image is her twin grey braids hair style. I presume this is the girl''s traveling attire, and damn, does she look cute in it.

    "How''s your health?"

    Asks the girl.

    "Well, as you can see, I''m not dead yet, haha."

    I laugh. The girl just smiles, like she knows that I''m fine if I can make jokes like this.

    "Still hasn''t depart yet? You forgot something? You''re gonna be late, you know?"

    According from what I heard, most of the students had already went home yesterday. I guess I also don''t want to be late for the new year''s family meeting if I''m in their shoes.

    "Kind of. I still have some unfinished business here. I''ll take my leave after I''m done. Beside, my parents are easy-going people. They won''t mind if I get home a bit later."

    Says the girl. If she doesn''t mind, then I guess it''s okay.

    "Amazing, isn''t she?"

    Suddenly, the girl averts her gaze to the result boards. Her longing gaze is more unusual than normal.

    "You mean Deborah?"

    The girl nods.

    "I''ll never be a match for her, either in magic, and academic¡­"

    "Well, you have Miss Perfect for an opponent. Don''t expect it to be an easy task."

    Seriously, I have a feeling that the girl doesn''t even have to try to be number one. She is already unbelievably good by nature. Though it''s not like people like her don''t exist back in my world. Still, I kinda envious of her¡­

    "Amadia was so close, though."

    She only needed a few more points to dethrone Deborah from the top. Just imagine her face when the girl found out she lost, again.

    "That girl tried her very best not to scream out loud that day. I feel bad for her¡­"

    Says Iola. I can only smile as I imagine the sight in my head.

    "Well, I won''t keep you busy any longer. You have stuff to take care of, right?"

    I speak. She may be late for her trip, and knowing Iola, if I keep letting her talk, she will be late for real.

    "Where do you intend to go?"

    The girl asks.

    "I haven''t got anything in my stomach for three days straight, so I''m gonna grab a bite at the cafeteria."

    Seriously, it doesn''t matter if the cafeteria''s food taste like shit. Right now, I''m so hungry I can eat a horse.

    "So you''re going to the cafeteria¡­Hmm. Shall I escort you?"

    Suggests the girl after a brief period to think.

    "Don''t you have something else to do? I''m fine, really. I can reach there by myself."

    "It''s alright. The place I want to go is near there anyway. And one more reason: The demon soldiers¡­they make me feel uneasy."

    Iola gives the soldiers a glance as she tones down her voice. The feeling is mutual to the soldiers as well. When their gaze are noticed by the girl, they quietly leave. When you think about it, the soldiers are at war against the humans, and there are two human look-alike boy and girl talking in the middle of the main hallway like they own the place¡­

    "Okay. I''ll depend on you then."

    I smile as I give her my answer. The girl happily smiles back. We begin to depart from the place after finishing our business here.

    On the way, I ask the girl about the reason why there are so many soldiers here. The answer Iola gives me is that they are here to prepare for a vacation, just like the cadets. Apparently, they are soldiers with good military performance, demonstrated during their service time and picked by the higher-ups for a week long vacation back home. They just arrived here yesterday, and will depart from the castle by tomorrow after finishing their own preparations.

    "You should depart as soon as you can, Iola. Something tells me they''re not exactly the friendly type of guys."

    It''s understandable. They spend their time fighting humans, and they have to look at some humans freely wandering on their turf while unable to do anything about it. I''m fine since I''m wearing the school''s uniform. But Iola¡­no matter how you look at her, you can only see a normal (but cute) human girl. If she stays here any longer, I''m afraid bad things may happen to her.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    "You shouldn''t think so bad of them. They are the ones fighting to protect the peaceful school life we have here. But¡­maybe you''re right. After I''m done, I''ll depart immediately."

    The girl has a point, but we should be cautious nonetheless.

    The conversation hits the deep end when I can no longer find anything worth chatting about. And while Iola is more chatty than I thought, the girl''s enthusiasm button only gets pressed when a topic of her liking appears. Beside schools stuff, I can''t think of anything right now. Asking a girl about her family may not be the best thing to do, but I can''t think of anything. Maybe I''ll ask about the weather?

    "Hey Akuma. Do you know where Deborah is?"

    The girl suddenly asks.

    "I don''t know. I just woke up from my coma. How should I know?"

    "I see¡­so you don''t know."

    Iola mumbles.

    "For all I know, maybe the girl had already went home during my sleep."

    "I don''t think that girl has a home though."

    I look at Iola in disbelief as she replies to me.

    "Really?"

    The girl becomes flustered when I raise my voice.

    "Err¡­I mean. I don''t know if she has a home or not, since she doesn''t talk much about herself. Maybe she has one, but we just don''t know about it."

    Come to think of it, the Headmaster and other teachers never said anything about her home either.

    "Maybe she''s still inside the castle ground."

    I say to the girl.

    "I think so as well. And¡­Akuma, you shouldn''t think so bad about her."

    "Hmm?"

    I give the girl another glance.

    "Err¡­I promised not to tell, so I won''t tell you. But¡­please don''t think bad of Deborah. She''s a nicer girl than you thought."

    "..."

    I fall silent from her words. The memories that day start to reassemble itself from my head. My feelings about her is complicated. On one hand, she sabotaged my efforts, and helped me achieved my goals on the other. It''s like she''s the physical manifestation of contradiction. Women¡­

    "Okay. I''ll try to reconcile with her."

    The girl just smiles in delight.

    The following walk is rather uneventful. We keep walking and pay no heed to the soldiers around. However, our ignorance stops along with our feet when we get near the castle''s courtyard.

    On the courtyard, there are lots of soldiers gathering around. Near the center, there is a newly built wooden platform, which resembling¡­

    "A scaffold¡­?"

    The words escape from my mouth as I search for the image in my memory bank. I have read about it in a book. This wooden platform is similar to a scaffold¡­the one used for public executions. The joyful shouts from the soldiers only reinforce my theory. They are making the courtyard into an execution site. But why¡­?

    "The demons never take prisoners. They don''t have enough resources to feed captured soldiers. Captured soldiers worth nothing, it''s meaningless to put a ransom on them. So, they decided to publicly execute all the captives as a policy, to save supplies and¡­to entertain the Realm''s own soldiers."

    Iola starts explaining. I heard a similar story from the Headmaster before. But to think her words are the truth when I thought she just wanted to scare me¡­

    "By captured soldiers¡­do you mean¡­humans?"

    The girl only nods without saying anything.

    Like a crowd of excited fans when their beloved pop star shows up and takes the stage, the soldiers loudly shout and fanatically scream. But the star in question is no celebrity, and isn''t limited to only one. From afar, a line of people are led to the scaffold by some soldiers. There are about twenty of them. Their hands are bound by a rope. Their clothes are tattered and dirty. They show signs of malnutrition, probably starved by their captors. We can''t even get a glimpse of their faces when all of them are forced to wear dirty burlap sacks on their heads. It''s likely that all of them are gagged under the sack as well, since none says anything. There''s a distinct groan of despair under their sacks, but that sound starts to fade away the louder the soldiers shout.

    This is a concert of death¡­

    "Are they denied even a chance to say their last words¡­?"

    "It''s not like¡­we know what they''re saying even if they let them¡­"

    "What the¡­?"

    I turn my gaze of disbelief to Iola. The girl closes her eyes for a moment before answering.

    "We don''t share the same language with people at the Heaven Realm, and it''s highly discouraged for demons to learn that language¡­"

    So even if they are allowed to speak, we won''t be able to know what they''re saying. If I''m in their position, I''ll probably drown the site with profanity. Maybe that''s the reason why they are gagged.

    "..."

    It''s cruel, too cruel. The humans are starved, gagged, and going to get executed without letting their last words be heard and understood. Yet¡­I''m standing here like a statue, unable to do anything, knowing troubles will follow if I decide to act up right now. All I can do¡­is to look at those men as they walk to the last moment of their lives.

    One by one, the captives are forced to step on the scaffold. The scaffold itself isn''t that big in size, so when five captives have taken stage, the others are forced to wait until their turns to die arrive. The crowd of soldiers become more excited as five men clad in mantis armor and armed with swords climb on the scaffold. The five executioners even greet the audience, waving hands included. I swear I can hear some guys below screaming: "Let me do it! Let me do it!"

    This sight makes me sick. Yet, for some reason, I can''t walk out of the way and try to make this a mere memory. And just like me, Iola doesn''t give any objection for being here as well, she''s intensively looking at the execution''s site with the eyes of a girl who just found the secrets of an adult woman''s life. I''m the same as her. This sickens me, but deep inside, there''s a part of me saying it want to witness this moment. My curiosity is controlling me, knowing full well this will be my first time witnessing the death of people, and it excites me¡­

    "Kill! Kill! Kill! KILL!"

    Yell the crowd in excitement. The executioners even start posing like real entertainers, and the crowd love them for that. They''re brandishing their swords and pretend like they will kill the captives prematurely. Suddenly, the executioners kick the captives in their back, bending them on their knees in the process. Some captives are visibly shaking. While they know not the words of their captors, the intent however is clear across all the captives. They probably know how the ending of their fates will turn out, and they can only wait in despair until that moment comes and ends it all.

    Sometime, I wish superheroes are real. When there are people in need, the superheroes will descend from the sky, beat the bad guys, help the suffered and save the day. But life doesn''t work that way, doesn''t it?

    After the charade is over, the executioners finally decide to get their job done. Each of them take position behind a captive, preparing their swords for a clean decapitation. The crowd fall silent as they hold their breath watching the scene unfold. And that silence scare the captives. It becames a cue for them to know their time is up. A few can be seen crying, wetting a small part of their sack in the process. A guy tries to run, only to be dragged back by his executioner. The ones that do nothing may have already accepted their fates, but they don''t do it in despair. It''s like¡­they still have a flicker of hope, not about getting out of this situation, it''s more like they know their comrades will avenge their death in the future. A wild array of hope before the end arrives.

    When the time is nigh, the executioners finally do their jobs. Each one take a clean cut to decapitate their captives, and five heads fall on the scaffold, along with their former bodies. Their remains start soaking the wooden platform in red. I close my eyes just seconds after their death, and slowly avert my gaze from the scene. Yet, the sight has already been captured by my mind, and it''s unlikely that I''ll forget this in the meantime. The crowd scream in excitement when the deed is done, however, there''s still more to come. But I don''t care anymore, I just want to run away from here, as far as possible.

    "Not a fan of bloodshed¡­?"

    Iola asks as she try to pat my back and ease my worries.

    "No¡­Actually, I detest those types of people. How can people...enjoy the sight of death...?"

    I don''t know if people like that exists, but I absolutely do not want them within my eyesight. They can go to hell for all I care.

    "Yeah...maybe¡­you''re right. People like that are detestable and despicable¡­They shouldn''t exist to begin¡­with."

    Iola''s expression saddens as she voices her contempt. Maybe it''s because of my bad eyesight, but why would a nice girl like her feel sadden for some edgy maniacs who love death and despair?

    Suddenly, before I get the chance to pursue this any further, we find ourselves some troubles as several unhelmeted soldiers start aproaching us, with swords in their hands and smiles on their faces.

    "Why are there two humans in this place?"

    Says a guy with an unshaved beard. The other ones get to our behind, effectively surrounding us before we find ourselves a chance to escape. Iola stays close to my back, knowing she''s can''t match the soldiers in close range. The girl is depending on me now, I have to say something to clear this up.

    "We''re just mere cadets. Please don''t mind us. We aren''t worth your precious time."

    Several guys seem surprised when they hear me talking.

    "You speak our tongue. But doing that while wearing a Melas uniform doesn''t make you an innocent man. For all we know, you may as well be a human spy, posing as a cadet to gain info and sabotage us from inside. Right, guys?"

    The guy with the dirty beard looks at his lackeys and they nod in response.

    "You have a wild imagination. But please, it''s the truth. Let us be. We don''t want any trouble."

    "But what if WE want some troubles?"

    The guy suddenly points his iron sword near my neck to intimidate me. But since I literally just fought a giant enemy crab three days ago, I''m not easily intimidated just by mere threats. That doesn''t mean I should play the tough guy card right now. Even though the gun is inside my cloak, I''m not in my top condition yet, the soldiers have us surrounded, and there''s still Iola behind my back. I need to be careful of my moves.

    "What''s the matter? Cat got your tounge?"

    Says the bearded guy. The other ones laugh in response.

    "What do you guys want?"

    I ask.

    "We haven''t think of it yet. But how about we make you two join those guys for a start?"

    The guy suddenly pulls the sword away from me, and points to the group of captives awaiting their execution instead. This has gone too far for a joke.

    I try to reach the gun beneath my cloak. If I''m going to die anyway, then I''ll do it with a bang. If I try hard enough, maybe I''ll give Iola enough time to run away. But a fight should be my last resort, I don''t want my life to end this soon. What should I do?

    If only superheroes are real¡­

    "Okay guys. You scared them good, but you''re getting overboard here."

    Suddenly, a guy from out of nowhere decides to interject in. The lackeys in armor can only look in awe as a helmeted soldier from nearby casually waltzs in and occupies the space between me and the soldiers'' leader. The man is roughly the same height as me, but slightly taller. He gives out the aura of a big brother, one who will protect his siblings from any harm to the end. However, his armor doesn''t indicate that he''s as nice as his attitude. His helmet is different than the other ones in that while it resembles a standard metal helmet, the visor has the image of a mouth full of teeth, and his helmet itself is decorated in a way that resembles a human skull. Just a trivial thing, but his right arm does not have a gauntlet, it is wrapped with bandage instead.

    "Who are you?"

    "Just someone who wants no trouble."

    The helmeted guy answers. Even when surrounded, his voice is full of confidence.

    "What!? Don''t you dare playing hero! State your name and unit, soldier!"

    "The name is Lapidoth, scout from the 4th Legion of the Central Corp."

    Lapidoth introduces himself.

    "That...armor. You''re from Annwn?"

    The guy in charge seems surprised for a moment, until he decides to continue the haughty act.

    "Don''t think you''re a big shot just because you''re a borrowed soldier from that dead city!"

    "Whatever. Look, names and ranks don''t matter right now. Can we just end this? I''m tired, you know. I guess you guys are tired as well, right? There is no need to waste efforts in needless things like these."

    The guy named Lapidoth suddenly turns his gaze to the soldiers around. Surprisingly, those soldiers nod in agreement.

    "They''re just kids, they don''t know the rules around here yet. There''s no way a human could walk inside the famed impregnable Melas castle in broad daylight."

    "Why do you keep defending those kids? Are you human as well? Right¡­only humans would defend their own kin to this extent!"

    "Seems like the cold made you go nuts..."

    The guy starts pointing his sword at Lapidoth. The helmeted man can only shake his head in return. Suddenly, he also draws his sword, closes their distance and points it to the aggressor''s throat before the beared devilman can even react, surprising the guys around in the process.

    "Are you¡­for real?"

    Says the beared guy.

    "If you want a fight, I''ll give you one. But if we fight, all of us will be sent to the Dark Line again, all of us."

    Lapidoth starts turning around and continue his speech.

    "Do you want it? Do you guys want it? I''m sure as hell I don''t want it. The last thing I want is getting back to that shithole of a place in the first day of new year. Maybe you guys will understand."

    Some guys nod in agreement. The aggressive man can only grit his teeth with the enemy''s back facing his side, but he wisely decides to give up. The guy sheathes his sword, and his followers also do the same.

    "Hmm. Don''t get cocky, soldier of Annwn."

    "And a happy new year to you too."

    As the soldiers start leaving, Lapidoth waves his hands as goodbye after he''s done returning his sword to its sheath. The trouble makers are no more, and the problem is resolved through mere talking, most of it. Yet, I got so worked up over this to the point expecting a fight and almost drew my gun¡­

    "Aaa¡­umm¡­thank you, kind sir, for rescuing us. We are grateful for your help."

    When the situation returns to normal, Iola departs from my back and bows to the soldier to express her gratitude. I also do the same, but of course, my words are simpler than the girl.

    "Thank you for saving us."

    "You could have save yourself in the first place by not hanging out around here."

    The guy suddenly makes a snide replies, ignoring our gratitude.

    "The next time you pick a place to date, don''t get your girlfriend to an execution site like this."

    "Wha¡­girlfriend?"

    Before I can get back to him for his somewhat aggressive reply, the man leaves behind another trouble for me to solve as he swiftly makes his leave. I really don''t know how to make of him, our mysteriou savior.

    "Well, that was...awkward."

    Iola doesn''t answer when she''s too busy blushing. It''s damn cute, though, almost makes me want to defect from the Sexy faction and join the Cute faction and ask her to be my girlfriend for real. Almost.

    Shit, random thoughts have overcome me. Have to stay calm, have to stay calm. Still, this little charade somehow makes me feel better. The sight of the execution no longer bothers me as much as it used to be. In a way, I guess I should be thankful of the guy earlier for that.

    "I think we wasted enough time already. Don''t you have some unfinished business? I can walk to the cafeteria myself."

    "Ah, it''s alright. I have already finished what I intended to do here. I won''t bother you no more."

    What? From when? Like, literally when?

    "O¡­Okay."

    Knowing the girl still have stuff to do, I decide not to bother her with questions and just let her go her way.

    "Please be safe on your journey."

    "You as well, Akuma. Be safe during your vacation, and please, take good care of Deborah in my absence."

    "I''ll try what I can."

    I smile. The girl bows again before she leaves the place. Seeing how I don''t have any purpose left in the courtyard, I also decide to continue my walk toward the cafeteria.

    What a weird day. Let''s hope today won''t get any weirder than this.

 Chapter 25: The calm before the storm

    The charade earlier quickly becomes a mere memory after my arrival at the cafeteria. Unlike the noisy place it usually is, the cafeteria today is almost devoid of life. The spooky cafeteria ladies aren¡¯t here, but food had already been prepared first-hand at the counter. Only a few diners remain in the room, one of them being someone I haven¡¯t met for a while.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just you, Akuma.¡±

    The bald, muscular man speaks up to me. He¡¯s sitting in the middle of the room, feasting on some sort of¡­dark, demonic soup. It¡¯s like the guy¡¯s eating left-over from an oil spill as his lunch. But well, sights like these no longer surprise me, and that¡¯s what I¡¯m afraid of...

    ¡°Happy new year, Mr.Lodbrok.¡±

    ¡°Happy new year to you as well, you maggot. Ahahaha.¡±

    The bald teacher answers with a noisy laugh. Unlike the other days, Bjarni Lodbrok is fully clothed. He¡¯s wearing a plain brown shirt and black pant. Just your typical attire for a middle-age brawny guy. However, the brown crystal in the middle of his forehead is still as noticeable as ever, especially with how bald he is.

    ¡°Care to join this old man for lunch?¡±

    Seeing that it¡¯s pretty awkward to sit alone after hearing the guy¡¯s offer, along with the fact that all the other guys around are soldiers, I instantly accept his offer, but not without getting myself a meal to eat first. After I¡¯m done picking, I return to the seat opposite of Bjarni and make myself comfortable.

    ¡°Did the cafeteria ladies depart for their homes?¡±

    ¡°Well, even the Accursed ones have their own families.¡±

    Bjarni answers. As much as I¡¯m curious about the ¡°Accursed¡±, my curiosity dies the moment my hunger kicks in.

    The meal I serve myself is the same type of soup as Bjarni¡¯s. Since all the food here suck in the same way, I don¡¯t even have the luxury to be picky. All I should care about is to stomach this soup before the terrible taste catches up to my tongue.

    ¡°Yuck! This tastes horrible!¡±

    That plain fails, and I waste no time to complain after having a quick taste of the hellish soup.

    ¡°Ahahahaha. To the common soldiers, meals like this are actually a feast, you know? Edible foods on the battlefield are actually scarce. If you can¡¯t stomach things like this, then I have bad news for you, maggot!¡±

    The man laughs, which only helps fuel the fear of the upcoming dark future before me. With shitty foods like these, I guess the act of starving the captives might actually did them a favor instead.

    ¡°..¡±

    I drop my spoon on the table. Despite my growling stomach, my appetite dies the moment the earlier thought crosses my mind, dragging the whole execution scene from before back to my head. The terrible taste finally catches up to me and gives me an urge to puke whatever I have left in my stomach. Thankfully, I manage to contain myself before I let everything out.

    ¡°You saw that, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    The man sees through my gestures as he drops the boisterous charade. His scarce words hit all the important points. I can only nod to confirm Bjarni¡¯s question. The man sighs. The following minute is filled with silence, allowing me some time to return to my sense before our talk can continue.

    ¡°You better get used to it while you can, cadet. The path you young''uns chose¡­will be far bloodier than this. The young will fill rivers with blood, and valleys with bodies. Killing will become your daily meals, and death will wait like a predator at every taken steps. But all of you knew it, didn¡¯t you? Nonetheless, it didn¡¯t stop any of you.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    In my heart, I already know about that. But¡­I have ventured too far to look back, let alone run away. My problem however¡­is whether or not I can accept bloodshed as a part of my life in near future. I thought I have already prepared my mind before I shot Amadia that day, but it seems like I still doesn¡¯t have what it takes to actually kill a person. I think it¡¯s a good thing, though. Only a sociopath can feel comfortable with killing in mere minutes, and I believe humans are inherently born good. Which makes it rather ironic, since I¡¯m trying to harden my mind to kill humans (and human-like enemies) easier, just so I can blend in among these...demons.

    After giving a glance at this confused boy, Bjarni can only put on a manly smile before speaking.

    ¡°You still have time, youngster. Just take it easy and think about it later. It¡¯s not like the Alliance¡¯s army will march here by tomorrow morning and attack this place, right? Try to enjoy your vacation while it lasts.¡±

    I smile and thank the man. Yeah, I shouldn¡¯t be hasty about this. The war is still out there, and it hasn¡¯t reached us yet. I¡¯m still safe behind the castle¡¯s sturdy walls. Let¡¯s take it easy like the teacher said. After all, haste makes waste.

    ¡°Thank you, teacher.¡±

    ¡°Just a part of my job, maggot! Ahahaha¡±

    The man smiles again. While having a counseling from an older man is cool and all, I would prefer the guy to stop calling me a maggot once every five sentences. Like, seriously.

    When there¡¯s no tales left to be told, we decide to finish our meals before they go cold. But for me, it doesn¡¯t even matter since the taste is the same. I think I¡¯ll die before I even get a chance to fight the war if I keep having meals like this. Maybe I should start learning how to cook¡­If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    After several minutes, we both finish our meals. I don¡¯t know about Bjarni, but I definitely don¡¯t want to savor the taste of this meal. Normally, teachers and students rarely have any common topics to talk beside school work, but Bjarni is surprisingly chatty. The random things he keeps spouting are about the stupidity of his beloved students, Caelan included. The man has the smile of a tough but doting father. While I normally don¡¯t want to deal with teachers, but since I¡¯m in no rush right now, I¡¯ll entertain him with some conversations.

    ¡°Akuma. Do you¡­have a family?¡±

    ¡°Family¡­¡±

    When the words escape from Bjarni¡¯s mouth, I fall silent. This is not a topic I will talk about with full enthusiasm.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I ever had one.¡±

    I have parents, yes. I mean, certainly a stork didn¡¯t magically carry me to the hands of my parents in a wrap. But¡­just like a house doesn¡¯t mean a home, having parents doesn¡¯t mean I have this thing called family.

    ¡°How about you, teacher? How¡¯s your family? Why didn¡¯t you take a vacation home to see them?¡±

    In an attempt to avert myself from this topic, I revert the question back to Bjarni. The man only puts on a sad smile before answering.

    ¡°My wife died years ago. I have a daughter, she¡¯s a bit older than you. But that girl enlisted herself to the army last year. So even if I go home, it¡¯ll be meaningless when there¡¯s no one waiting for me. And since I can¡¯t see my daughter among the soldiers here, I guess she didn¡¯t make it back this year. Or maybe, that girl just found it¡¯s meaningless to go home, knowing that I won¡¯t come back, and stayed behind to fulfill her duty.¡±

    I can only look in awe when the guy reveals his daughter¡¯s existence. Bjarni hasn¡¯t finished his story yet, so I continue to be a good listener for the guy to tell his tale.

    ¡°My daughter was a real handful. She¡¯s a sweet country girl you can find everywhere. However¡­I don¡¯t know when, but that girl secretly practiced martial arts behind my back, and against my will. Then¡­we got in a fight, and it ended badly. Before I knew it, when the chance presented itself, the girl voluntary enlisted to the army, and went straight to the frontier to fight. Stubborn girl¡­¡±

    Let¡¯s hope it¡¯s only a verbal fight that he¡¯s talking of.

    ¡°Why did you two fight?¡±

    I ask.

    ¡°That girl said she wanted to protect me. She told me I¡¯m the only family she has now, so it¡¯s her duty to protect me instead. That damn foolish girl¡­Why would an adolescent girl worry about the welfare of a rugged old man like me? I can crush skulls like walnuts, yet she still wanted to protect me, damn it!¡±

    Mr.Bjarni averts his gaze to the ceiling above for several seconds, before he resumes his story.

    ¡°I used to serve in the invasion army before the ceasefire ten years ago. I quitted the army after that since I got tired of the meaningless bloodshed. However, the war was just stalled, it hasn¡¯t ended yet. What good would come from enjoying this unstable peace as a farmer? If I¡¯m just a mere farmer, how can I protect my daughter from the armies that still lurking on our lands? Beside, fighting is all I know about, the peaceful life just isn¡¯t for me.¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s the reason you chose to be a teacher here.¡±

    The man nods. He takes another pause as he sighs before telling the rest.

    ¡°I loathe war. I enjoy a good fight, but I am tired of the act of killing. It would be better if people solve their wars through personal fights rather than sending youngsters to die. But this world doesn¡¯t work that way, doesn¡¯t it? Hahahaha!¡±

    Bjarni lets out an ironic laugh.

    ¡°I guess¡­that¡¯s probably the last thing a teacher who teach youngsters how to kill should talk about. It¡¯s hypocritical. But I won¡¯t hide the fact that I¡¯m a hypocrite and a lowly maggot. I train people to fight because I want them to help protecting my daughter on the frontier. I depend on them to do something a father like me cannot. That¡¯s the least I can do right now¡­as that girl¡¯s father.¡±

    He calls it hypocritical, but I call that love. People go to great lengths for their loved ones all the time. At least¡­that¡¯s what the books I read taught me.

    ¡°Do you want to reconcile with your daughter?¡±

    I ask.

    ¡°I want to. But¡­I¡¯m stubborn. I don¡¯t want to see my daughter soaking herself in blood for this old man¡¯s sake. But she¡¯s stubborn just like I am. She wants the two of us to fight together on the battlefield, against my own wish. How can we come to agreement when our interests stand opposite from each other?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    His story suddenly reminds me of another tale¡­about an equally foolish boy and girl.

    ¡°I may not in the position to tell you this but¡­there are times you should just turn your brain off and stop overthinking things.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±

    The bald man asks.

    ¡°Trust me, I had¡­some experiences.¡±

    Not a fact I am proud of...

    ¡°When we deal with stubborn girls, being stubborn yourself won¡¯t help, even just a bit. However, people like us also try to make the other bend too much to our own will, consciously or not. That¡¯s why, we should play dumb!¡±

    Play dumb, not being dumb, mind you!

    ¡°Play dumb¡­? Hmm?¡±

    Looks like the guy gets it.

    ¡°Right. You shouldn¡¯t overthinking stuff. Let the both of you come to an understanding naturally. Let¡¯s do things both of you love to do. Like having dinners, picnics, watching TV¡­err¡­nevermind the last part.¡±

    ¡°You sure say strange things, as befitting a strange familiar. But I get your point. I shouldn¡¯t rush it, nor trying to actively enforcing her to change her mind?¡±

    Yes, kinda like that.

    ¡°Do you think it will work ?¡±

    The man asks.

    ¡°Honestly I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s an untested plan, since I¡¯m going to test it later. But let¡¯s hope it do. Beside, deep inside, I know it will work. Even if you two may not come to an understanding, as long as both of you still love each other, you are a family, and you¡¯ll eventually sort things out.¡±

    Right, family¡­

    The man looks stunned, but his reaction quickly turns to a big laugh.

    ¡°Ahahaha. Being taught the lesson of family love by some brats. The guts of you!¡±

    Bjarni stops laughing, but a kind smile still persists on his lips.

    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll think of something and maybe write her a letter. I guess I¡¯ll pull some strings to net her a vacation home. Our old house probably gathered enough dust by now, maybe cleaning it together will help us sort things out.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a start.¡±

    I smile, knowing I just do a good thing.

    ¡°Let¡¯s hope this will work, and we¡¯ll become a family like before.¡±

    Let¡¯s hope so.

    ¡°But what about you, Akuma?¡±

    The man suddenly asks.

    ¡°Me?¡±

    ¡°Your family.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    I fall silence. The man looks like he want to say something, but he holds back and changes his mind.

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know the details, so I won¡¯t barge in. But¡­I hope you can sort things out with your family as well. Hearing someone¡¯s son telling me he didn¡¯t have a family pains me as a father. Like what you just said before: As long you still love each other, you are a family. I hope those words of yours are not just empty words.¡±

    I can only put on a weak smile as I listen to Bjarni. He¡¯s right, those are just empty words if I can¡¯t back it up myself. But¡­it¡¯s too bad, my family circumstances can not be solved merely by saying ¡°I want to make up, let¡¯s make up and be a happy family again.¡±. I can¡¯t fix something that is already broken beyond repair from the beginning.

    ¡°Thank you, Mr.Lodbrok. I¡¯ll try what I can do¡­¡±

    The teacher doesn¡¯t say anything, but his sense is sharp. He stares at me, but doesn¡¯t call me out and just keeps smiling. We keep our silence until we know our conversation options are up.

    ¡°Excuse me, Mr.Lodbrok. But I¡¯m afraid I still have something to do.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I won¡¯t keep you busy anymore. Thank you for talking with this old man, Akuma.¡±

    I take my crutch and start walking away. The man stays behind in the cafeteria. But that¡¯s not my business, since I have someone I need to reconcile as well.

    ¡°Family¡­heh?¡±

    Let the feelings be my guide, I start walking toward the Darkwood forest.

 Chapter 26: The hidden heart and the girléˆ¥æªš confession

    Snow keeps falling without rest as I make my way across the Darkwood forest. Using a crutch is no easy task, but since I''m about 95% healed, I don''t have much problem walking through the forest''s soil. Only the cold bothers me, but eventually, I get used to it and stop my mental whining.

    It''s just a hunch, but I have a feeling that she is here¡­Deborah is here. While it maybe simply a mere hunch, I have some clues to justify showering myself under the Winter snow like this. The last time Deborah ran away from home, I got lucky and met her in this forest. It''s just a feeling, but I think everytime she disappears to somewhere, maybe she spends those time sulking in that place. Let''s put aside the bad stuff that happened to me that time, I need to recall my memory and locate the exact location.

    With a mental Remembrance spell, I retrace my footsteps of the past, and finally find myself at my intended destination.

    The place in which I was confirmed to be Deborah''s familiar.

    Thanks to the spell earlier, I remember the events that day like it was yesterday. The demonic hyenas, Deborah''s dramatic entry, our verbal fights, the "test", and Kardia''s appearance. Heh, when I think about it again, that was quite a day I had.

    But the future is still going on, there''s a lot of blank pages waiting to be filled with memorable memories like that day. Maybe today will be one of those.

    Before me lies Deborah''s own little haven. The place is surrounded by bushes and bushes of flowers, with various colors and genera, enough to make this place a flower garden within a forest. Despite the start of winter, the flowers seem unharmed by the cold and the snow. When I take a closer look, every drop of snow gets diverted from the bushes by some magic barrier, made with Image Magic on the ground to prevent them from dying.

    Only one person would care enough to do this. That very person is lying her back against the biggest tree in the middle of this place. She''s soundly sleeping without any care to the world around her. There''s this peaceful aura around her, like a sleeping beauty. There''s no sign that shows the girl is even a bit bothered by the cold.

    "¡­"

    The girl''s sleeping face is like an angel, molded by nature to become perfection itself. Her long dazzling red hair only helps to make her beauty more noticeable. If she doesn''t have a such cranky personality, I would actually believe Walpurga''s words about her having secret admirers. But that''s not my business.

    I''d like to wake her up right now, but I decide to enjoy the view instead. Watching her sleep peacefully like this, it kinda makes all of my worries temporary go away, even just a bit.

    However, it seems like having someone constantly staring at her makes the girl uncomfortable. She opens her right eye, just her right eye, and stares at me. No reactions, no "Gyaaah! A pervert who watch girls sleeping!" bullshit, just a plain staring contest.

    "Wakey wakey."

    I whisper to the girl with a bored tone. The girl doesn''t bother to answer back. She just yawns and stays there, still with her back by the tree. There''s a novel on her lap, presumably her favourite one. It''s rare to see her being this unmotivated.

    "People built beds for a reason, you know?"

    "I''m just taking a quick nap."

    With an equally bored tone, the girl answers and yawns again. This is like a verbal fight between two lazy grannies.

    "I thought you wanted to get yourself a cold instead."

    Seriously, how can she sleep in this kind of weather, and right in the middle of the forest? I can''t sense any protective barrier to keep the girl warm around her napping area. It''s like she doesn''t even bother to protect herself from the harsh winter and decide to face it head on, cold be damned!

    "I would love to experience it for once, since I''ve never get sick before."

    Well, people always say idiots don''t catch cold. Of course, telling her about that isn''t any different than asking for a death sentence.

    "Well, I hope you can get what you want."

    I answer. It will be nice to see her bedridden from a cold for once. It''s getting boring when I''m the one who get bedridden after every fights.

    The girl doesn''t look like she care enough to stand up for a proper conversation. Before I can voice my concern, the girl manages to take the first move.

    "I don''t feel like standing up. If you want to chat, why don''t you sit down near me? I''m also in the mood for a conversation anyway."

    Now that''s awfully generous of her. I suspect a hidden conspiracy. It maybe a trap¡­

    "Really? You''re awfully strange today."

    "Are you scared I''ll bite?"

    Still with a bored tone, the girl answers. She''s surprisingly calm today, at least calmer than usual. Maybe her period is finally over? But seriously, it''s like she a different person. The cold probably cools her temper off.

    "You don''t have to scare me by biting. Your current speech pattern alone is enough."

    I let the crutch fall to the ground and search for a comfortable place to sit on. I end up sitting in parallel of Deborah. We don''t look at each other though, and just let our mouth do the talking.

    "I sound strange?"

    "I don''t think it stops at the sound part."

    Believe it or not, I find it easier being her verbal punching bag than taking it easy like this.

    "Something happened?"

    I ask. The girl only smiles before answering.

    "No, nothing strange happened. It''s just¡­the way things always are."

    "What does that mean?"

    Deborah gives a stare to the ground as she answers.

    "Iola went back home, and Caelan as well. Believe it or not, I start to miss Amadia''s noisy antics. I''m not a fan of the teachers, and I don''t want to go near the soldiers. And I presume you know how good my relationship with the Headmaster is."

    "¡­!"

    Ah, I get it. The girl is sad because her friends have already went home for the vacation. And certainly Deborah is not the type who would get along with the adults. The girl acts strange because she feels lonely.

    "That doesn''t mean you should take a nap in broad daylight, though."

    "But this place soothes my mind. To me, a bed or a tree''s trunk is hardly different. Beside, I need to protect the flowers from the snow."

    "The flowers¡­"

    I give a quick glance at the flower bushes.

    "How could they grow in this type of land?"

    "They couldn''t, at first."

    The girl''s answer gives me the final clue I need.

    "You made this little garden yourself?"

    The girl puts a smile on her lips. A small prideful smile of achievement.

    "Just a free-time hobby."

    The girl replies. Sensing my curiosity, the girl decides to enlighten me on her works.

    "The land around here was infertile. It took a while, but I did some work on the land to make it capable of growing flowers. The hard part was the seeds. I became a regular at the castle''s general shop since it was the only place that complied my requests to import flower seeds. That''s also how I met Fidus."

    Oh, that dog, Fidus. It''s been a while since I last saw him, and that''s a good thing for me. I can''t defeat that dog as of now¡­

    "Flower seeds are expensive, you know? Affording them really put a dent on my wallet. Growing them was a pain as well. But the efforts were worth it. Flowers are good¡­they don''t judge you for who you are, and I feel calm just by looking at them. It''s one of a few leisures I was allowed to have in this castle."

    Suddenly, the girl starts looking at me before she continues.

    "I was really mad when your girlfriend destroyed some of my flowers that day, you know? She even made a part of the land infertile again!"

    Oh, Deborah is talking about the day Kardia made her entrance to this place. While I know I should pay my attention to the strange stuff happened in that day, I can''t help but feel¡­accomplished(?) when people keep giving me girlfriends all day.

    "She''s not my girlfriend, you know?"

    Despite my denial, I answer the girl with a little¡­perverted smile. Has my springtime of youth finally came?

    "Oh, really?"

    Deborah gives me a look of disbelief. The girl quickly gives up pursuing the subject further, though, and she just sighs knowing how meaningless it is to continue the charade.

    "Oh well. I don''t care."

    "Then don''t act like you care."

    I answer. In an attempt to prove that she really doesn''t care, Deborah stops talking and answers, instead just pays her attention to the flowers in front of her. The girl suddenly smiles, for unknown reasons. I guess I can never understand how a girl feel.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    While it''s comfortable enough with viewing flowers alone, how can a conversation be a conversation without anyone talking? With that thought in mind, I start to search for something we can talk about. Then it hits me¡­

    "You know what, Deborah? Before I got discharged from the infirmary, a nurse who works there told me an interesting story."

    As I mention the story from the nurse, Deborah''s smile suddenly disappears, and her reaction reverts back to her normal, grumpy self.

    "What story¡­?"

    "She told me that¡­during my short coma. There was a girl who stayed by my side for two days straight, and only left at the start of the third day¡­the day I woke up."

    "Really¡­? Are you sure¡­that''s not something made up by the nurse to console you?"

    I smile as I listen to Deborah''s words.

    "Maybe it was, I thought so at first. I don''t think I''m worthy enough to have someone care for me by my sickbed. But another meeting made me have a second thought about it."

    "¡­"

    Deborah stays silent. Feeling no need to wait for an answer, I resume telling my story.

    "By rare chance, I met and talked with another girl - A friend of the girl in that story, before that friend departed from the castle. That friend tried to hide it, but her words slipped and made it clear that someone made her keep it as a secret. Thanks to that, I finally got myself some clues on who might the girl in the story be."

    "So¡­who do you think that girl is¡­?"

    Asks Deborah. With a hidden smile, and without looking back at the girl, I answer.

    "Why did you care so much for someone like me¡­Deborah?"

    The girl falls silent. I don''t want to look at her right now, knowing I will make the girl feel uncomfortable. But my ears are still working, I can hear the sound of her grabbing some snows on the ground. The silence continues. The both of us end up just looking at the scenery instead of talking.

    The snowing doesn''t seem like it wants to stop.

    "When¡­did you find out?"

    Suddenly, Deborah speaks.

    "I''m not stupid. I have doubt at first, but the more time I spent with you, the more clearly it becomes. You don''t see me as just a mere familiar, and you went great length to protect me from harm, sometime by harming me yourself. Really, I don''t know what is what anymore. I want some answers from you."

    I don''t think her feelings are romantic in nature, but it''s definitely not natural. She''s overtly protective without any clear reason, like I''m her special someone or anything. And that''s what bugs me.

    "To be honest¡­I¡­don''t know as well."

    I turn back and give the girl a glance, thirsting to get a glimpse at the girl''s own viewpoint.

    "I hate your guts, Akuma. You''re stubborn, foolish, and weak. Yet, deep inside my heart, I feel inclined to keep you safe from harm, by all means possible. I don''t even know how I feel anymore."

    "¡­"

    I fall silent when I can''t find any words to answer.

    "When the holidays start approaching. I know when Iola, Caelan¡­and even Amadia leave, I will be all alone in this cold castle. Without them, a vacation inside the castle is meaningless. Before I know it, I find myself waiting¡­waiting for you to wake up. When all of them leave, the only person here that I trust enough is you¡­Akuma. You are the only one I want to talk to today."

    My feelings right now is a mess. I can''t make clear of myself to know what exactly is the girl''s deal with her own feelings.

    "You don''t have family? Relatives?"

    "I don''t know¡­"

    The girl answers.

    "What about home? You don''t have a home? An old home would be fine."

    "I don''t know¡­"

    I give the girl another glance.

    "What do you mean you don''t know?"

    "I don''t know, really¡­Though¡­it''s more precise to say that I forgot¡­"

    "Forgot¡­?"

    Is she¡­

    "The Headmaster forbade me from telling people about this¡­But she also said I should open my heart more, so¡­I will tell you. I haven''t speak of this to anyone, not even Iola, not even Caelan, no one. You¡­will be the first one¡­to hear my story."

    I nod in anticipation. The truth behind Deborah. While I always act like I don''t care, deep inside, I want to know what exactly is the girl''s deal. And this is that moment of truth¡­

    "The truth is¡­I have amnesia."

    Amnesia. That means she lost her memories. However, memory lost varies from person to person. Maybe she can still recall something.

    "How many of your memories did you lose?"

    The girl falls silent.

    "All of it."

    "¡­"

    The girl takes a deep breath before she starts her own tale.

    "I have no memories, and I can''t recollect any of them, even to this day...My birth, my childhood, my parents, my heritage, my homeland, my true self¡­nothing. I still have enough subconscious knowledge to barely function in society, but without my memories, I''m nothing more than an empty shell of flesh."

    To merely exist, not to live. Someone without memories is like a body without a soul.

    "It''s no different than being summoned to a strange world that is not yours¡­"

    Says the girl.

    It''s like how I came to be in this world¡­I can at least understand that part. In a way, I guess she cares about me since our feelings are similar. For her, it''s about waking up in a world she doesn''t remember. For me, it''s to arrive in an unknown world that I have no knowledge about.

    "When did you know about who you are¡­? About¡­Deborah Draconis?"

    If she didn''t remember, then how did she get that name? And the whole thing about being Dargoth''s granddaughter.

    "About one year ago. I found myself waking up inside this castle, with no prior knowledge of who I am and what my life was before that time. The person who picked me up, gave me my identity and a glimpse of myself was the Headmaster. The witch named Nilrem Erramun, our Headmaster."

    Now I know why details of Deborah''s own life is so scarce, because Nilrem keeps most of Deborah''s information for herself, and only reveals bit by bit to make others shut up. But what is exactly her purpose for doing so?

    "Nilrem told me that my name is Deborah, Deborah Draconis. She told me I am the only living descendant of the Greatest Demon King¡­the granddaughter of Dargoth. When I asked about my home, about my parents, the women didn''t answer. However, she did give me a condition, that is she''ll answer every questions I have, but only until I reach maturity age."

    "Do you know when that time will come?"

    Deborah shakes her head.

    "I don''t know. Maybe¡­rather than about age, the Headmaster wanted my consciousness to reach maturity and capable to function like an adult. When I asked the Headmaster to let me study at the academy as an cadet, the woman changed the condition to my graduation instead. She also allowed me to enroll, but only if I''m able to pass the entrance tests."

    "What happened after that?"

    I ask.

    "In the following time, I absorbed every piece of knowledge I could get my hands on in order to gain an understanding of this world. I holed up in the library whenever I could and read every single book the library has to offer. I took the test in last Summer, and was finally allowed to enter the academy as an cadet."

    "It must be tough¡­"

    A lone girl in a strange world, without knowledge of the way the world around her works. Since I''m in a mostly similar situation, I can understand some of her struggles. But while I have years of living back in the old world, the girl has nothing, nothing at all. Her name was given to her, her identity was given to her. She started her new life from scratch, while I already have an old life to help myself¡­

    "Hey, Akuma¡­"

    Suddenly, in a quiet voice, Deborah speaks to me. Her expressions darken, and not in a good way.

    "What is it?"

    "Can you allow me to voice¡­some of my selfish thoughts?"

    I suddenly feel unease, but it''s rare to have Deborah open up to people, so I nod in response to her request.

    "Thank you¡­"

    Deborah stands up. Slowly, the girl walks from her own napping spot to the ground in front of her, in the middle of her little garden. With her head holds high to the sky, Deborah opens her lips.

    "I hate being Deborah!"

    The girl shouts out loud.

    "What¡­?"

    I can''t even believe my own ears, but that is just the start of her rants. Deborah holds tight of her arms as she continue shouting.

    "I don''t even know if Deborah is my own identity! I became that girl because I had no other choices. To be Deborah, to be Dargoth''s granddaughter¡­it was my only rope to escape from being a nameless no one. Yet¡­I can''t stand it, playing the role of the Greatest Demon King''s granddaughter. To play the role of a perfect student¡­to be powerful, to be talented, to be loved by most and feared by some. But¡­all of those traits, they''re not mine¡­they belong to Deborah¡­whose name and identity were bestowed upon me. The moment I became Deborah, I gained the privileges that come along as the greatest Demon King''s granddaughter. But¡­they''re not mine, nothing is mine, except my own failures¡­"

    I snap.

    Sometimes¡­I hate how easily humans can be to envy of someone, but they do have limits to hold their dark thoughts in check. Of course, I have my limit too. When you have low self-esteem, you start to be envious of every good thing people around you have¡­With how I am, I know there''ll come a day when I can''t keep my dark side in check.

    I just didn''t anticipate that¡­today will be that day.

    Deborah''s words are like a saw, it keeps severing my limits with every lines she said. Before I know it, my limit breaks. Clenching my fists isn''t enough, biting my lips isn''t enough¡­there''s nothing I can do right now to hold my dark thoughts¡­aside from letting everything out¡­

    I start standing up.

    "If only I can escape from this castle¡­but even if I can, what will I do next? I have no purpose of my own, and I can''t think of any. My current purpose¡­granted by the Headmaster, was to play the role of Deborah as flawlessly as possible. People expect me to be flawless, to be the perfect Dargoth''s granddaughter they know and love. But¡­following the expectations given by others everyday drives me mad. It''s torture. I don''t want this. I don''t want to be expected of great things. If only I could have an ordinary life, a life unwanted by others, a life with only myself to look after. A life with me being my own master. I''m sure you can understand, right¡­? You also doesn''t want to be controlled by others. You want control of your own life as well. That''s why I want to tell you these¡­because we share the same feelings."

    Yeah, I understand her problems now.

    "Right, I understand¡­.I always thought you''re special, but in the end¡­you''re just a plain bitch!"

    "Wha¡­"

    Before the girl gets the chance to talk, I start lashing out at the girl with everything I kept hidden in my heart.

    "You always ask people to understand you, but do you really understand them!? You said you don''t want to be powerful, you don''t want to be this awesome and just want to be a plain, ordinary girl¡­well, just give all of them away then, to those who need them! Do you really understand the people at the bottom like me? The ones that tried really hard for things you could do in your sleep? Do you know of Amadia''s frustration when she''s unable to defeat you no matter how hard she tried? Did you hear Iola''s lament when she more or less admitted that she has no hope to best you in anything? What rights do you have to complain when people crawl their way from the ground just to reach half of your accomplishments? You already have your whole future put nicely on a silver plate, yet you demand it to be done the way you want it to be¡­People like you¡­people who hate themselves even when they got everything others could ever want, people who whine when they have the expectations of everyone¡­I hate them, and I hate you. Deborah¡­you sicken me!"

    With all my strength, I shout. I can''t even see the darkened face of the girl when I''m too busy letting out everything I have in mind. I no longer want to reconcile with the girl. All I care about right now¡­is to put her down with every words I got.

    "I thought¡­you would understand¡­I thought you don''t want your life just to be a scripted event!"

    "Right¡­I don''t want my life to be a mere scripted event. But there''s this thing I haven''t told anyone. I don''t want to live a life that was scripted, but I want to pick the scripted event for myself! I want to be of use to people. I want people to expect great things from me. I don''t want¡­to be just a mere shadow anymore¡­Then you appear and whine that your life is hell when you got everything I can ever wish for. Powerful, loved, have high expectations from everyone¡­You are the epitome of all of my wishes! And you just have to spit on my face by saying you hate your life and tell me bullshits like "I''m sure you can understand"! You are even lower than a worm!"

    The girl clenches her fists. She looks like she snapped from the pressure. But I don''t give a damn about her anymore.

    "You¡­What rights¡­do an accident like you have¡­to judge me like that?"

    "An accident¡­?"

    I find myself snapped even further just by those two words.

    "Right, I told you once, and I will tell you again! You''re an accident¡­you''re simply just an accident from the start! You were not supposed to be here at all! I never intended to summon anything! I didn''t want to be looked up by people for summon some powerful being! So I sabotaged my own summoning circle and hoped that nothing would come out! But you¡­you appeared¡­you ruined everything by your existence alone! Why don''t you go back to your home!? I don''t want to see you anymore!"

    Before I know it, my hatred for her is temporary gone. I find myself looking at the ground. I''m no longer angry, only sadness remains.

    "You''re right¡­I''m an accident, just an accident¡­an accident that shouldn''t be allowed to be born."

    The girl''s expression changes as my words reach her ears.

    "Akuma¡­you¡­are you¡­by any chance¡­?"

    Suddenly, from afar, around the center of the castle, there is a flame flying upward to the sky. When it explodes, part of the sky on top of the castle gets dyed in red. A magic flare, used to transmit messages. There are many types of flare for different purposes, but red flares, they are¡­

    "Code Red?"

    The color code used in case of enemy attack.

    ''Attention all personnel!''

    There''s a voice inside my head. It''s the Headmaster''s voice. Seeing Deborah''s reaction, I guess the Headmaster''s telepathy reaches her as well, and maybe not just us. I guess it''s an announcement to all the people in the castle¡­but what is going on?

    ''Every able man and woman, please gather at the castle''s main hall. This is not a drill. There''s an emergency that requires the participation from all of you. Soldiers, teachers, cadets¡­no matter who you are, no matter where you''re from, we need your help to defend ourselves, to defend this castle, to defend the place that those on the Dark Line had failed to protect

    Prepare yourself, the greatest war of this century has already started!''

 Chapter 27 (1): A castle in peril

    ¡¸Central War Room - Before the gathering¡¹

    When the woman cladded in grey steps foot into the room, she is greeted by salutes from the commanders and intelligence officers inside. Not bothering herself with the formality, the Headmaster keeps her pace and approaches the strategic map in the middle of the room. The staff resume their work when they are done with the formality.

    ¡°How bad is the situation right now?¡±

    The woman asks. The strategic map already laid out on the table is a detailed one. There are several black and white stone tokens placed across the map. A line of tokens form the backbone of the Dark Line, but they¡¯re currently in conflict with the opposite lines made of white tokens. Far at the east of the map, there stands a single black token defending Melas castle. However, in front of it, there is one big white token that somehow finds its way through the chaotic defense line and is slowly, but surely, approaching the castle.

    ¡°The whole frontier is in disarray right now. We already requested back up from the rear, but it¡¯ll take them several days until they can assemble an army and mobilize to Melas castle.¡±

    As a commander finishes his report, the woman closes her eyes and sighes.

    ¡°I was warned of the attack through the crystal communication device, but the frontier¡¯s device was destroyed before I can hear the full story. Gentlemen, please give me a quick explanation on how our grand defensive line we built for ten years suddenly collapsed in a day.¡±

    The commanders fall silent. According to military regulations, when there is a battle, the full authority is given to the highest ranking commander from the army, even though there¡¯s already someone in charge of the local area. However, Nilrem Erramun is an exception. Her authority as the castle¡¯s master exceeds even the military commanders, due to her experiences, her services in the past, the importance of this place, and the woman being favored by most members of the Seven Pillars. In front of such pure political power, the commanders can¡¯t help but listen to the witch¡¯s orders.

    Before the woman¡¯s patience runs out, a commander finally gives her what she wants to hear.

    ¡°This morning, a legion from the central army was raided when they were in the middle of preparation for the annual winter defense exercise. The raid party¡¯s leader was confirmed to be a human male Hero. When their formation was broken, a detachment from the enemy¡¯s own central army began their surprise breakthrough. They breached through the defense line, and marched deep inside our land.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t the remaining legions intercept this detachment?¡±

    Nilrem asks, her stern tone certainly doesn¡¯t help ease the seriousness of the current situation.

    ¡°They couldn¡¯t react in time, madam.¡±

    Says another commander. He continues.

    ¡°The estimated number of this detachment was roughly five thousand men, they brought along with them four disassembled trebuchets, pulled by stone golems. They kept their size small enough not to alert our remaining armies. Also, there were signs of this attack being an spontaneous one from a rouge unit. The enemy¡¯s remaining armies didn¡¯t go for rescue when the rouge unit was surrounded by the central legion¡¯s remaining regiments. However, the enemy took advantage of the confusion, and launched a total offensive on all fronts when they saw their chance. This led to the whole chaotic mess our army is facing right now. The fighting is still going on as we speak.¡±

    Nilrem sighs. Trying not to laugh out loud about how a bunch of demons defending the realm being played around like a damn fiddle, the witch continues to think of a solution. Seeing how close the attacking detachment is on the map, there¡¯s no mistaking it, this castle is their main objective ¨C thinks Nilrem.

    ¡°A whole defense line of 150000 men, thrown into confusion by a 5000 men unit. It¡¯s been a while since the last time I¡¯m this amused.¡±

    The commanders can only do nothing but look at the smile on the wicked witch¡¯s lips.

    ¡°Is there any information on the attacking unit¡¯s leader?¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    Says the witch. Her attention is still focused on the map.

    ¡°Yes, madam. The enemy¡¯s leader was confirmed to be ¡¸Origen, the Black Paladin¡¹.¡±

    ¡°Origen¡­A paladin from Luminis, and a Lutumian at that. Well, if it¡¯s him, then it¡¯s no doubt their surprise attack would work wonders.¡±

    All of the people in the room know how dreadful an enemy a Paladin of Luminis is. This kingdom of Light has no standing army. Their only military force is a small group of powerful and fanatical believers, simply dubbed the Paladins. These zealots must prove themselves to be a master of war and faith in order to join the ranks of Lielos¡¯s warriors. They were armed with powerful weapons, and were given signature armors that bear symbol of the white cross. Even when few in number, they still brought fear to their enemies as much as they sung praises to their god of light.

    Suddenly, from the war room¡¯s window, an eagle flies into the room. It is no ordinary eagle. This creature is a moving set of grey clay, molded to the shape of an eagle. A homunculus made by alchemists for special tasks, such as carrying messages.

    A soldier approaches the eagle. With a simple touch, the clay eagle suddenly breaks itself into tiny bits. In the core of the homunculus, there¡¯s a piece of paper with strange writings. It¡¯s probably codified information. When they get a hold of the paper, it doesn¡¯t take long for the intelligence officers to crack the code.

    ¡°We have an update on the current situation, madam!¡±

    After they¡¯re done, a soldier approaches the witch and starts his report.

    ¡°The enemy unit had successfully evaded the last guard fort. The scouts also reported that the enemy¡¯s numbers had been reduced to about 4000 men as of now. The estimated time until they arrive is a day. They will be here by tomorrow morning!¡±

    The commanders and soldiers can only do nothing but look at each other in despair. It¡¯ll take at least three days until their reinforcement arrives. While they¡¯re literally inside a castle built to withstand sieges, they know they don¡¯t have enough manpower to defend the place from an attacking unit of 4000 men, led by a dreaded Paladin on top of that.

    ¡°Madam, the report also said they still have some reserve soldiers at the surrounding guard forts. They offered to join us for the defense of this castle.¡±

    Says the reporting soldier.

    ¡°Tell them to wait and offer support for our armies if they retreat. They don¡¯t have enough manpower to successfully pull off a pincer attack on the enemy anway, and the war from the frontier will soon reach them regardless. Not to mention with the enemy¡¯s current marching speed, it¡¯s already too late for them to get to us in time.¡±

    ¡°Yes, madam.¡±

    When their order arrives, the soldiers quickly write a coded message to their comrades on the frontier. After it¡¯s done, a soldier puts a piece of paper to the center of the broken clay eagle. He touches its body, and suddenly, the smashed pieces of the eagle starts reassembling itself to its former shape before flying away, carrying along the coded message inside its core.

    ¡°Commanders, what¡¯s the estimated number of our own fighting force?¡±

    The witch once again glares at the commanders as she starts giving questions.

    ¡°We have a thousand soldiers waiting for their departure, combine with the five hundred men from the castle¡¯s guards and we have at most one thousand and five hundred able-bodied soldiers¡­¡±

    To siege a castle, one need an army twice the numbers of the defending force in order to gain an edge. The reverse is also true, an army with half the numbers of the attacking force can be enough to hold a fortified castle. But the commanders aren¡¯t that optimistic, their men barely reach the required number to defend this huge castle. While there¡¯s only one bridge leading to the West side of this continent, fortified a deep valley separating the places, it¡¯s only a matter of time until the castle¡¯s gate is breached and the castle falls to the hand of their enemy.

    ¡°Those numbers are enough.¡±

    Says the witch. The commanders can¡¯t rise their voice. Deep inside, they feel awkward being bossed around by a witch who¡¯s only have a say in this room thanks to being the lord of the castle.

    Suddenly, the witch turns her gaze to the commanders as if she knows what they¡¯re thinking.

    ¡°I believe you gentlemen won¡¯t have any objection about me being in charge of this operation?¡±

    Asks the witch.

    ¡°With all due respect, madam, we were trained for warfare and taught to master the art of warfare. Warfare is our life and purpose. You don¡¯t have to directly involve into this siege, madam. Please let us do our job to defend this castle. A headmaster should only concern about the education of her students, rather than meddling in the affair of soldiers.¡±

    The conversation gathers the attention from all the personnel inside the room. They all await the answer from the woman in grey. With a subtle laugh, the woman answers.

    ¡°Commander. Were you here the last time this castle was besieged?¡±

    ¡°Err¡­no, madam. That was hundreds of years ago. I wasn¡¯t even born yet.¡±

    Says the commander.

    ¡°I was there the last time this castle fell. It was hellish, like a nightmare than I couldn¡¯t wake up from. I don¡¯t live to this day just to watch the same tragedy unfolds again. This castle is one of Dargoth¡¯s last remaining legacy, it¡¯s inconceivable to let it fall again to human¡¯s hands. I am Nilrem Erramun, Lord of Melas Castle, and I won¡¯t sit by and let my home be taken away. Do you still have any objections, commanders?¡±

    ¡°No madam, we will not have any objections. Please give us your orders.¡±

    The commanders and the soldiers bowe in recognition of Nilrem¡¯s authority. Without any change of reactions, the woman starts making a battle plan alongside her subordinates.

 Chapter 27 (2): An army in slumber

    ¡¸Main Hall¡¹

    After the announcement, the vast main hall quickly becomes packed when waves upon waves of soldiers arrive in the place. Despite holding a number of men that counts up to a thousand, the soldiers have no problem with breathing space since the castle was built to hold even more. Most people in the main hall are soldiers, but there¡¯re still some auxiliary combatants who heard the announcement, including the castle¡¯s remaining staff, some teachers, and even some cadets who didn¡¯t go home for their vacation.

    On the staircase which serves as the intersession between the upper and lower floors, the top brass of this castle¡¯s army can be seen walking down. Leading at the front is a woman clad in gray. She¡¯s wearing a gray robe and a wizard hat. The woman is holding a wooden magic staff decorated with a large amber on its head. While most soldiers haven¡¯t personally met this woman, they subconsciously know she is the one in charge of Melas castle.

    Without any demand for formalities, the woman goes straight to the topic at hand the moment she opens her mouth.

    ¡°Soldiers! As you have heard from me before, the Dark Line we tried so hard to defend all these years had collapsed! Fighting has already broke out between our forces and our enemy¡¯s. It is no doubt that the greatest war of this century has finally arrived!¡±

    Nilrem pauses. Anxiety begins showing on the faces of the unhelmeted soldiers. However, the well-disciplined soldiers dare not to raise any questions when their superior hasn¡¯t allow them the permission to.

    ¡°As of now, a detachment of four thousand men strong is making their way toward this castle, led by the dreaded Black Paladin Origen. Their goal is only one: The capture of Melas - the final wall that stands between the Alliance¡¯s army and the rest of the Demon Realm! If we lost this castle, we will inadvertently allow the tragedies of war to happen on our home¡¯s soil! This castle will become a strong foothold for the Alliance¡¯s army to nitpick our territories one by one. They will take away everything we have, until nothing left is ours!¡±

    Once again, the Headmaster stops. She takes a look around her. The soldiers don¡¯t look so good. They feel lost, and it shows on their face. However, Nilrem doesn¡¯t want to give them any false hope. Only when they are capable to prevail from this hopelessness can the chance to win this battle reveal itself.

    ¡°Soldiers, I will be honest. Our numbers are about one thousand and five hundred men at most. We¡¯re understaffed. We don¡¯t have anti-siege weapons. The only thing we can be certain is our supplies for a long siege. But even if our reinforcement will arrive in three days, the enemy surely won¡¯t allow us the leisure to buy time and wait. They will throw at us everything they have until this castle is theirs. We have many to lose, and little to gain.¡±

    Nilrem holds her breath as she raises her voice.

    ¡°Even so, even without a glimpse of hope, it IS our duty to stop them here, right at our Realm¡¯s front door! The fighting will be fierce. Your life, and the life of others beside you, will surely lost in battle. You won¡¯t have another chance to see your loved ones again, but you will prolong their lives until the day of your reunion in the afterlife of Arhat. History may not remember your names, but if you succeed, it will absolutely remember your deeds, the deeds made by the brave men and women at Melas castle! Men, women, soldiers, cadets¡­it does not matter who you are, where you¡¯re from, what race you are. What really, really matters is your own resolve. Tell me your resolve, soldiers! Tell me the resolves of those who will venture through the valley of death!¡±

    Silence follows after the woman finishes her speech. But it does not last long, it¡¯s only there because the soldiers need some time to console themselves, to find within them the will to try, the resolve to fight, and the courage to die.

    ¡°I will fight.¡±

    A soldier breaks the silence with his words. Soon after, like a wave of falling dominos, the remaining soldiers also voice their thoughts as they get washed away by the will of the courageous soldiers yelling before them.

    ¡°I will fight too!¡±

    ¡°Me too!¡±

    ¡°Me as well!¡±

    ¡°We will fight to our last breath!¡±

    With their resolves inside their hearts, the soldiers hold their prideful fists to the sky. Before long, in front of the woman stands an army that will ready to fight till the last man. What can a leader ask for in a desperate situation like this?

    ¡°Very well! Soldiers of the Demon Realm, you have this old woman¡¯s respect. May your life and death serve your purpose! That is all!¡±

    Nilrem shouts. Right after that, the woman turns her gaze to the commanders beside her.

    ¡°If you please, gentlemen.¡±

    ¡°Yes, madam!¡±

    The commanders all shout together. Then, each of them takes a different way while announcing the jobs for the soldiers.

    ¡°The combatants will follow me! We need all the weapons we have in the armory. After that, those who know how to smith, follow this man to make more weapons and arrows! There¡¯s a working forge near the armory. The remaining soldiers shall follow me, we have some quick fortifications to do!¡±

    ¡°Non-combatants! Please split into two groups. One group will go to the infirmary and get all the medicine it has. The others will follow me to the storehouse, we need to prepare the supplies for the upcoming battle! Await further instructions when you¡¯re done!¡±

    ¡°Those who are good with a Warg shall go with me. We need to do some recon on the enemy, and prepare some traps on the way as well!¡±

    Like ants inside a colony, the moment their tasks are clear, the soldiers start to follow their respective commanders to help fulfill their jobs. Only some remains, most of them are battle mages from the battlefield, but even then those mages don¡¯t get to take it easy when a teacher from Melas called Walpurga also starts leading them for their own jobs.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    ¡°Mages! Please follow me to the Magic Arts Department¡¯s main hall. I shall quickly brief you the battle plan made by the Headmaster.¡±

    Before long, the main hall quickly becomes empty again when the hard-working ants leave to do their jobs. But this place isn¡¯t completely empty. The Headmaster is still standing there in the intersession between the stairs, despite all of her commanders are long gone to fulfill their tasks. She isn¡¯t alone, however. In the center of the room, there stands a young man with a black cloak. He is of above average height. He¡¯s wearing a white shirt and a black trouser. He has black eyes and hair, along with a pair of glasses on his face. A cadet from Melas.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have any jobs to do, cadet Akuma?¡±

    Says the woman as she starts descending from the stairs. The young cadet looks up to the woman while trying to let his words out.

    ¡°I just don¡¯t know what to do¡­¡±

    ¡°If you can fight, go help the combatants get ready. If you can¡¯t fight, go help the non-combatants prepare the supplies. But if you want to flee, then the coward¡¯s bridge is that way. It is as simple as that.¡±

    When Nilrem finishes speaking, she stands right beside Akuma, in the middle of the main hall, on top of a big decorative circle with a blank space inside.

    ¡°I¡¯m not a coward! I won¡¯t run away from this fight!¡±

    Says the young cadet.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t a fight, Akuma. This is a war.¡±

    The woman suddenly stares at the young man with a cold gaze, scaring him for a second.

    ¡°War has no places for those with doubt. If you really wanted to fight, you wouldn¡¯t ask me what to do from the beginning.¡±

    The young man doesn¡¯t answer. Deep inside, he knows the Headmaster is correct.

    Suddenly, the woman in grey taps her staff onto the ground. She taps it thrice, and when she¡¯s done, the platform they¡¯re standing on sinks down underneath. Below the place, there¡¯s a large and dark tunnel that goes deep down to the ground. There¡¯s a spiraling staircase attached to the wall, but using the platform as an elevator makes the whole trip faster and more comfortable.

    ¡°This place is¡­¡±

    The surprised young man speaks. The thought of a hidden downward tunnel right under the main hall never cross his mind before.

    ¡°Akuma. Do you know where Deborah is?¡±

    The words from Nilrem¡¯s mouth are not the answer the young man expected.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­I saw her earlier in the main hall. But she was gone after your speech.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    The Headmaster seems to have catch on something.

    ¡°Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The young man averts his eyes for a moment.

    ¡°We got into a fight.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s just normal. Being around that girl would eventually net you to a fight or two. So, what did you two fight about?¡±

    The woman speaks from her experience as the young girl¡¯s guardian. She always expect a verbal fight everytime she needs to meet the girl. To the woman, it eventually becomes a normal thing that doesn¡¯t even need to be bothered with.

    ¡°¡­She spoke about her memory lost, and asked me to understand her. But I couldn¡¯t when she keeps putting salt on my wound¡­¡±

    Says the young man.

    ¡°So that girl revealed the truth to you.¡±

    With no noticeable reaction, the woman answers.

    ¡°Headmaster. Please tell me¡­about Deborah¡¯s true identity...about her true self, not someone¡¯s name that you gave to the girl during her memoryless state.¡±

    ¡°If I tell you the truth, what will you do after you know, boy?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°Do you think you can help that girl after you know who she truly is?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Akuma knows easily throwing the word ¡°Yes¡± right now won¡¯t be able to convince the woman in front of him, even just a bit. Without any answer, the young man can only stay silent until the elevator¡¯s ride is over. At the bottom of the tunnel, there¡¯s a small hallway leading to an unknown location. Without fear, the woman walks through the place. Part afraid, and part curiosity, the young man also follows behind.

    At the end of the journey, the two find themselves on a small platform. There¡¯s a vast space shrouded in darkness in front of them. The normal human eyes can¡¯t catch the tiniest glimpse of what lies ahead. But since he¡¯s standing near a literal witch, the young man expects the witch in grey to perform some sort of spell to illuminate the place.

    But the young cadet is soon to be disappointed. All the Headmaster does is just simply pull a switch nearby. Little by little, lines of stone pedestals inside the room start to lit themselves on fire. Slowly, the scenery reveals itself to be a vast and ancient room. This place can easily beat the main hall above it in term of size. The whole place makes Akuma feels like he¡¯s standing at the entrance to an ancient temple.

    Soon, as the Headmaster walks toward to the edge of the stone platform, Akuma¡¯s attention is drawn to the center of the room. In the middle of the place, there are pots, lots and lots of ceramic pots, each of them roughly half the size of a man. All of them are located near each other, similar to an infantry formation.

    ¡°Headmaster¡­this is¡­¡±

    ¡°A small gift from an overprotective father, given to us after his daughter enrolled here. This gift¡¯s purpose is to help us defend this place should the need arise. Well, we¡¯re short-handed right now, so I guess that need is finally here.¡±

    Nilrem holds her staff to the sky. The woman starts chanting. After some seconds, a small light radiates from the amber on top of her staff. However, nothing happens¡­not yet.

    ¡°Arise! Soldiers of Annwn! The day of duty has finally arrived! As your master, I demand you to fulfill your oath of service! Take up your arm, awake from your slumber, and free yourself from your prison!¡±

    One by one, the ceramic pots get smashed from the inside. From what remains of the pots, they stand. With sword in one hand and shield in the other, the pots from before reveal themselves to be the vessels containing one thousand skeletal soldiers. Slowly, the skeletons start rising up. All of them wake up from their long slumber inside the cramped pots. After they¡¯re done assembling the formation, the skeletal soldiers give Nilrem their hollowed looks, awaiting orders. These soldiers now stand ready to face any foes their master demands them to.

    ¡°Skeletons¡­¡±

    Says the young man. While Akuma knows some walking and talking skeletons before, the skeletal soldiers in front of him give him the creeps. The skeletons he knew have this¡­lively aura around them, like they¡¯re real people, only with bones and a lack of flesh and skins. But the skeletons before him don¡¯t have that kind of aura. They are just a bunch of animated bones that act like medieval robots. They are without souls, without minds, without thoughts, created only to serve the purposes of others. They are the undead that had truly died in both body and soul.

    ¡°Soldiers of Annwn. There¡¯s an enemy that threatens the existence of this castle. It¡¯s time for you to serve your purpose. Please gather to the ground above, there are commanders who¡¯re waiting to give you more detailed instructions.¡±

    When the Headmaster finishes her lines, the skeletons start marching in formation. They walk to the platform the two living being are standing on, but the skeletons completely ignore them and just walk back to the tunnel earlier.

    ¡°What a bunch of friendly guys.¡±

    To Akuma, the difference between these guys and the skeletons he knows are like the sky and the sea.

    ¡°Undead soldiers, created by the necromancers reside in the Necropolis of Annwn. Unlike the Accursed ones, these soldiers have no souls and can only follow simple orders. But since we¡¯re in need of manpower, these skeletal soldiers are enough for us.¡±

    The Headmaster explains.

    ¡°This room was built to contain them all?¡±

    Asks Akuma as he takes a look at the now-empty room. The woman has no intention to answer his question¡­at first. Nilrem turns her back to the young man with the intent to walk away¡­until something changes her mind. Nilrem once again gives Akuma a gaze and starts to tell the young man something unexpected.

    ¡°No. This place¡­it was used to hold something far¡­far much worse.¡±

 Chapter 27 (Final): And the start of a war

    ¡¸West Bridge ¨C Next Morning¡¹

    Morning arrives at the end of the day-long preparation from the soldiers of Melas. The snowing temporary stops and withdraws to the background. If it doesn¡¯t, how else can today¡¯s main actors take the stage? The castle gates from the West and East are already shut tight, but most of the battle however will occur mainly at the West side of the Melas, due to being the bridge that connects to the West side of this continent, the direction the humans came from.

    And so, the demon soldiers gather near the West gate to defend the castle. On top of the castle walls, lines and lines of soldiers are already lined up in formation. Standing beside the common devilmen of the Demon Realm are the skeletal soldiers of Annwn ¨C a secret backup force summoned by the castle¡¯s lord to take part in battle. While the soldiers aren¡¯t exactly pleasant with the sudden participation of the undead, right now, they have no rights to complain when the situation is too dire to be picky about helps.

    On the walls directly on top of the West gate, the top brass of the castle can be seen watching the scenery ahead of them, one of them being Nilrem Erramun.

    ¡°Damn trees, should have cut all of them when we had a chance.¡±

    Says a commander. Ahead of them in the West is a dead forest obscuring their view of their enemy. The only path that connects the rest of the West and this castle is a large stone bridge, built on top of a deep valley. If the commanders can keep the attacking enemy forces concentrated on the bridge, maybe victory will not be just a mere fantasy.

    ¡°Madam, I still have some objection to your battle plan. You spread our forces too thin while we should concentrate them all at the walls near the gate! And you also didn¡¯t place the mages on the castle walls when we¡¯re really in need of firepower right now!¡±

    A commander approaches Nilrem and voiced his opinion. The battle plan made by the Headmaster wasn¡¯t something the commanders expected. In her plan, instead of concentrating all their forces to solely defend the West Gate, Nilrem evenly spread most of the manpower to the North-West, West and South-West walls, essentially all the West side of the castle¡¯s walls from North to South, even though the bridge solely connects to the West side. She also placed a small amount of men at the South-East and North-East as well, with North-East being the place with the least manpower to defend due to this place have a literal forest behind the walls. On another side of the troops placement, the woman ordered the devilmen and skeletal soldiers to stand guard on the walls, but not the mages, even though having mages on the walls will greatly increase their offensive power to hit the enemy.

    ¡°While soldiers are essential, the mages are more indispensable, Commander. It¡¯s easy to replace a soldier, but you can¡¯t quickly replace a mage. Our hands are tied here, I can¡¯t risk what little manpower we have.¡±

    The woman answers. You may give someone a sword and call him a soldier, but you can¡¯t just give a guy a staff and declare him a mage. An untrained man can fight as long as he can swing a sword, the same can¡¯t be said about an untrained magic user.

    ¡°But¡­!¡±

    ¡°Commander, you shouldn¡¯t follow the standard battle doctrine to a tee like that. Humans have the penchant to do unexpected actions. They are known to be clever, afterall. Blindly doing something just because it¡¯s the standard tactic will surely bring doom to us all.¡±

    While the commander looks like he still have some words to say, he holds back, knowing he shouldn¡¯t disobey his superior. The commander backs down and walks to his comrades to await further orders.

    When the little discussion is done, another witch interjects in after ascending the stairs led to the walls. There¡¯s a sleeping black cat on the witch¡¯s right hand.

    ¡°The preparation is done, Headmaster.¡±

    When she hears the words, the Headmaster steps down to see the ground inside the castle. Near the entrance to the castle, there is a group of soldiers holding a big, black coffin. They put it on the ground after they¡¯re done, and another group ¨C this time mainly consists of mages ¨C starts approaching the coffin and stands guard.

    ¡°Good work, Walpurga. And have you located that girl¡¯s location?¡±

    ¡°Little Ferdelin here saw the girl walking toward the North-East area. While I still have doubt, I think we can leave that place to her.¡±

    ¡°¡­for the time being.¡±

    The Headmaster answers. She seems anxious, even when she already have everything under control. But Nilrem is no fortune teller, she can¡¯t predict the things that will happen when the battle unfolds.

    ¡°Let¡¯s hope that we can make it through this battle.¡±

    An attacking force of four thousand and four trebuchet, against a defense force of two thousand and five hundred, with only castle walls as their ally. Even though numbers and weapons may make a difference in war, there¡¯s usually no telling of how a battle may end, and who will prove victorious in the end.

    ¡°Enemy sighted!¡±

    Suddenly, a soldier shouts. The attention of the whole army starts to point to the west.

    On the other side of the bridge, there are no sight of the enemy army due to the obscuring forest, but there is a person standing near the west side of the bridge. He is a rather old human, but his tall physique doesn¡¯t give him the vibes of a weak elderly. His long hair is already turned white and is covering his eyes and part of his face. It is only matched by his equally long white beard. The old man is wearing a brown robe. He¡¯s also holding an old tome strapped to his waist with a leather cord.

    The soldiers of Melas are already on their guard. The archers have their bows loaded, with arrows point right at the old man in brown robes, but they haven¡¯t shoot yet, not until they have the orders to.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°Orders, madam!¡±

    The commander in charge of the archery squads shouts. Unexpectedly, the following words from the Headmaster isn¡¯t something that strays from the standard protocol like the commanders around her expect her to, like the words ¡°Wait and let¡¯s see¡±.

    ¡°Shoot him. At this point, we have no need for negotiation.¡±

    ¡°Y¡­yes! Archers, shoot at will!¡±

    As ordered, the archers released the hold of their bows. A wave of arrows starts racing to end the old man¡¯s life. But of course, the old man won¡¯t stand here just to get himself skewered by a rain of arrows. He opens his tome, and suddenly, the pages inside start flying out. They band together, and form a shield to protect their master from the upcoming arrows. Even though they are just papers, the paper shield prove impervious to the iron arrows. None of the arrows make it to their mark. The archers don¡¯t stop, of course, they start shooting another wave, but before the third wave can be made, the Headmaster orders the archers to stop wasting more arrows.

    When the old man is done with his preparation, the paper shields scramble aside to let the old man do his work. His hands are radiating some sort of brown light. Suddenly, the old man punches the ground with his hands. A small part of the ground is destroyed by the impact. This leaves one to wonder what sort of man this elder is. But that is just the start of his ploy.

    His punch makes a wave to the ground, like the waves of the sea. It goes deep into the valley below. And then, it starts. The earth around starts surging into large pillars, aiming at the castle walls like thrusting spears. The earth pillars pierce through the walls and send flying the men who have the bad luck of standing near there. Almost all the walls at the castle¡¯s west side have been attacked by the earth pillars. But it doesn¡¯t stop there.

    ¡°So this is why they didn¡¯t start the battle with the trebuchets.¡±

    Says the Headmaster as she realized the true purpose of the pillars: They are made to serve as alternative bridges leading to the castle walls. If the demons¡¯ positions weren¡¯t stretched thin, their whole army would have been in shamble right now trying to fill up the broken holes in their defense.

    ¡°Class Six spell, ¡¸Earth Surge¡¹. They brought some good mages.¡±

    The woman¡¯s praise is soon overwhelmed by the war cries of her enemy. Out of the nearby forest, the enemy¡¯s foot soldiers start coming out, waves upon waves. Climbing on the newly built earth bridges, all of them make their way to the castle walls, with the capture of this castle as their only one purpose in mind. But on the other side, the defensive force have also get themselves ready. With swords on their hands, shields in the others, the brave men and women of Melas move out to defend this place to the last of their breath.

    ¡°So it begins, the siege of Melas.¡±

    Mumbles the Headmaster as the bloodshed enters its prologue.

    ----------------------------------

    ¡¸North-East Area ¨C Some hours later¡¹

    In contrary to the busy Westward areas, the battle has yet to reach the North-East ward. Due to the unimportance of the place, the castle walls near Darkwood are guarded by just a few skeletal soldiers of Annwn, with numbers only about a hundred. It¡¯s a fitting role this small group can perform, since unlike the common soldiers, these skeletons won¡¯t complain being forced to defend an unimportant place (Then again, its importance is debatable). As soulless beings, they can only do what they were told to do, and they were told to defend this place.

    But let¡¯s say that they have a soul for one second, would they complain when the battle doesn¡¯t reach their place? If they do have a soul, they will probably shut up by now, since the battle has finally come to them.

    In the dark shadow of the valley below, men upon men are climbing on the walls with their specialized climbing tools. Due to the limited equipment, even with some devilmen captains around to direct the battle, the skeletal soldiers can only do nothing but watch the enemies climb on the wall. But maybe¡­it is wiser to wait, because when the first enemies reach the top, they are met with fierce resistance from the skeletal soldiers. Each men that successfully make their way on top quickly have their life ended by a sword slash from the skeletons. Corpses of men start dropping down to the dark valley as the skeletons do their job. With the walls on their sides, the skeletons surely have the advantage. It will be foolish to continue like this, but the enemy¡¯s soldiers know how much advantage this place can contribute to their cause if they are to succeed.

    -Mages, give us some support!

    As the soldiers let out their cries of help, the human mages climbing after them begin to start their job, even when they¡¯re still hanging on the castle walls. With some fireballs and ice magic, the mages quickly clear some area above to let their men safely board the wall. It is wise of them to bring along some mages, since these skeletal soldiers are weak to the mystical force of magic.

    When they have their foothold, the full force of the secret raid party can finally board the walls and turn the tide of battle. The newly awakened skeletons can¡¯t fare well against the might of experienced soldiers and mages. It doesn¡¯t take long until the undead are pushed back, allowing the raid party to have the chance to approach the forest.

    -Hurry up soldiers! We need to quickly infiltrate the castle from this side!

    The raiding soldiers don¡¯t even bother to finish all of the skeletons. With their full force, the soldiers quickly run through the forest. After ten minutes or so, the hundred men strong raid party finally find a way out of the forest. The area map they brought along probably helps. The question is how did they have something like that to begin with?

    -This side¡¯s gate is that way.

    Says one helmeted soldier as he points out to the castle¡¯s inner gate. But before they can make their entrance to the castle, they are tailed by the remaining skeletal soldiers, still hell bent on fulfilling their duty.

    -Some of you go open the gate! The remaining ones will intercept the enemy!

    As ordered, a group of ten departs from the raid party to open the inner gate. Without the advantage of the castle walls, when on even ground, the skeletons find themselves torn apart by the full might of the human soldiers. The soldiers quickly dispatch the remaining enemies. Only one gate stands before them and the castle of Melas. Should they complete their mission, today¡¯s battle will surely be remembered as the fastest siege in history.

    BOOM!

    But of course, the demons of Melas won¡¯t allow their names be tainted in the history book just like that.

    From the direction of the gate, there is a loud explosion. As the soldiers¡¯ gazes are drawn to the gate, they find their comrades running away from that place, while their bodies are on fire.

    -Arghhhhhhh!

    Scream the ill-fated soldiers. They try rolling on the ground to put out the fire, but that only prove to be futile attempts. No matter how many times they roll, no matter how thick the snow is on the ground, the fire burning away their flesh can¡¯t be extinguished. When their strength run out, the burning soldiers stop moving as life escapes from their bodies. Yet, the fire on their corpses doesn¡¯t stop, not until all of them are returned to mere ashes.

    -Who¡­who did this!?

    Yell a soldier. The whole raid party is on guard as they hear footsteps at the gate¡¯s direction. From inside the castle, a girl wearing black robe slowly walks out. A tall girl with long red hair and eyes. She¡¯s wearing a black cloak ¨C the signature uniform of Melas¡¯s cadets. The moment their eyes meet, the helmeted soldiers know that this girl is the mage who killed their comrades. Fighting a fire mage may not be easy, but this isn¡¯t the first time the soldiers fight a mage. They have the strength, the skills and the experience. The soldiers know they can win. It¡¯s just a girl, how hard can it be to kill one fire-using mage girl?

    Little do they know that the girl before them simply isn¡¯t just a mere fire mage.

    -None shall pass!

    The girl shouts. And thus, the strongest fire mage finally takes the stage.

 Chapter 28: The Strongest fire mage

    -None shall pass!

    The girl¡¯s battle cry temporarily stuns the human soldiers. Not because of the content nor the volume, but because of the tongue that she used to announce her will.

    That language actually is¡­

    -She speaks our language¡­!

    The human soldiers mumble to each other. By this point, the remaining skeletons are already disposed of. All of the human¡¯s attention point to the girl in black cloak. They hold firm their swords, but the shock from hearing their own language from the mouth of an enemy makes them hesitate a little bit.

    Nonetheless, the human soldiers are experienced warriors. They no longer pay any heed to the language she used, but to their fallen comrades died by her hands. Even so, none of them seek to get their revenge¡­at least not yet. Slowly, the soldiers try spreading out in an attempt to encircle the girl. But before they can do it, the girl holds her hands in front of her and starts chanting a spell.

    -Shit!

    Cuss the soldiers. The girl¡¯s chanting speed is as fast as lightning. In no less than three seconds, she finishes casting her spell. But that isn¡¯t an attacking spell. The defensive stances make by the soldiers prove useless when the girl simply conjures a huge wall made of fire behind her back, blocking all the path leading to the inner castle, and make futile all attempts to encircle the girl.

    -Go home, humans. Continue any further, and you¡¯ll meet your end.

    Suddenly, the girl speaks.

    -There¡¯s nothing but death waiting for you here. Go home, back to your family and loved ones. You shouldn¡¯t throw your lives away. My mercy has limits. If you don¡¯t go, I¡¯ll be forced to fight you.

    The soldiers look stunned for a moment. It¡¯s been a while since the last time they hear the word ¡°Family¡±. But¡­the soldiers suddenly start shaking, not because of their homesick, not because they miss their loved ones. It is anger that drives them mad.

    -Don¡¯t joke with us! We don¡¯t need your useless pity!

    Shouts a soldiers. They all point their weapons toward the red-haired girl with intention to kill. If you are put into their shoes, maybe you¡¯ll understand. Just imagine the life of a soldier that finally made their way to this castle. You, a common man turned soldier. You, who stand guard in a foreign land through winters upon winters. You, who made through the countless enemies and successfully went behind enemy¡¯s line. You, who are still alive even though many had already fallen on the path to this castle. You, who are fueled by anger from the deaths of your compatriots when they almost make their mission a success. And then, after you went through all of those, your comrades¡¯ killer suddenly bring out a speech about mercy? To make it short, just imagine someone tell you to make a choice that is impossible for you to choose, and they act like a saint because of that.

    -You said of mercy¡­right after you killed our men. You said of home, when we barely made it to stand in this place. Everything you said are just pure bullshit! I don¡¯t care if you speak our tongue, your life shall end here today!

    The soldier¡¯s words reach the girl¡¯s ear. Her face saddens for a bit, before it turns to a bored and blank expression. She sighs from the futileness of her action. That¡¯s it, I give up... ¨C thinks the girl.

    -So I could¡¯t reach you as well¡­Him and you humans¡­Why are all of you such stubborn creatures¡­

    The girl mumbles to herself. Slowly, she takes off her black cloak, and tosses it away onto the snow. Right now, the girl only has her long-sleeves white shirt with a black string necktie, knee-length black long skirt and a plain pair of black shoes. Nothing from the girl¡¯s appearance indicates she is a force to be reckoned with. But the soldiers know better, they know her fire magic are probably more dangerous than her persuasion skills. They try to spread their force a bit thinner, all while thinking of a way to gang up on her before she have time to conjure her dangerous spells. Their enemy is a very dangerous spellcaster, but no matter how dangerous she is, there¡¯re still many ways to take out a spellcaster.

    -Well then, if you desire so, I shall be your end. I¡¯m in the mood for some carnage anyway¡­

    The soldiers suddenly feel pressured. Those who are soul energy-sensitive can feel the movement of soul energy around her area. She¡¯s trying to use a very big spell ¨C think the soldiers. But the soldiers know that the bigger a spell is, the longer it¡¯ll take to complete the chant. While the girl¡¯s casting speed is godlike, if they make it quick, they can end the fight before it begins. That¡¯s the theory¡­

    But some of the soldiers have a bad feeling about this. They have a hunch it won¡¯t be that easy¡­

    Without waiting for any reactions from the soldiers, the red-haired girl holds both of her arms in front of her. A sudden gust of wind flows by as she chants the arcane words.

    ¡¸O mi???y ?ob? o? olb.

    H??b ??? wo?b? o? ??i? ?in?ul d?in?. ¡¹

    The wind grows stronger as the verses continue like a flow of water. All the soldiers are ready for the attack, but none dare to make any sudden move.

    ¡¸???in?b ?w?y ??om ??? wo?lb.

    ?o???b uq ?o ??? b??q??? ?dy??. ¡¹

    The soldiers give each other a look as if urging the others to try and do something. But their courage is wavering, they can¡¯t bring themselves to finish the job when their own feelings are obstructing themselves. The soldiers don¡¯t know what this feeling is, it maybe a mix of fear and anxiousness, but there is one thing they know: The more verses are completed, the stronger this feeling becomes.

    Something terrible is going to happen.

    ¡¸?u? I d?? o? ????, li???n ?o my ql??.

    §Á?l???? m? ??om my qu????o?y. ¡¹

    Angry at the cowardice of his comrades, one soldier decides to act up. With his iron sword in hand, a helmeted soldier runs toward the girl. The gusts of wind don¡¯t even faze him and prove to be nothing but mere nuisance. The soldier can¡¯t believe his comrades are afraid of a child-scaring trick like this. He quickly closes his distance, and gets his sword ready. The moment the girl is in his reach, there will be a headless corpse lying on the ground.

    ¡¸?o? ????? ??? wo?lb? ?o du?n ?nb ?l??? ?o ?????.¡¹

    The girl¡¯s chanting stops. Her spell has been completed. The gusts of wind rapidly fade away. And¡­nothing happens. No sudden sea of flames. No burning corpses around. No one dies. Nothing, nothing at all!

    -It¡¯s over!

    With nothing stopping the oncoming soldier in his track, the soldier finally gets in range. Pouring all his strength to the iron sword, the soldier takes a swing, aiming at the girl¡¯s pretty neck with the intention to sever the head off its body. Yet, despite the oncoming doom, the girl doesn¡¯t react, she welcomes the oncoming attack with a bored look.

    Sphhhlt!

    The attack connects. It slices the girl¡¯s neck. Her red blood starts soaking the iron sword. The soldier is still physical fine. He doesn¡¯t meet any sudden resistances from his enemy. Nothing happens to him. His attack is a success, but only partially, because of two things:

    His attack isn¡¯t strong enough to sever her head off her body.

    -You¡­!

    And the fact that the girl is still alive, even when there is a sword stuck right in her neck, wounding her in the process. But the girl doesn¡¯t show any reaction, aside from a bored glance at the pitiful human in front of her. The iron sword which cut her flesh, bled her and stuck in her neck just proves to be a mild annoyance for the girl.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    As she grows tired of the charade, the girl finally acts.

    Shnk!

    Like a naughty girl who torments her toys, the girl grabs a hold of the soldier¡¯s head, and snatches it away as easily as breaking a doll. In the span of a blink, the former brave soldier is now lying on the ground as a headless corpse. Blood streams burst from what remains of his body. The girl¡¯s white shirt is now soaked in red. As casual as a naughty girl, the red-haired girl throws away the head like it is a broken toy. When the head touches the ground, the helmet bounces away, revealing the surprised face on the former soldier¡¯s head, still has yet to realize he is no longer a living human.

    All the soldiers fall dead silent as the scene lays out before their very eyes. The iron sword earlier is still stuck to the girl¡¯s neck, and yet, she casually plucks it out with a nonchalant face. With little use of the sword, the girl throws it away, all while slowly walking to the terrified group of soldiers.

    -Arghhhhhh!!!

    Some soldiers scream. In an act of desperation, some charge at the girl in an attempt to end her life. With swords and spears, they pierce her body with all the rage flowing in their veins. Their attacks make it through her clothing and pierce through her flesh, but all of those attempts prove to be futile. The iron blades and spears stop after penetrating a few inches inside her flesh, they can¡¯t push any deeper than that, despite all of them being soldiers that are capable of beating Orcs with those same weapon.

    -Sorry.

    Says the girl. Her actions in the next five seconds when her words end will probably become a nightmare that haunts the remaining soldiers for the rest of their lives, provide their lives won¡¯t end at this place.

    In the first second, the girl in red throws a punch at a helmeted soldier¡¯s face. It doesn¡¯t end with a mere smashed face, nor a plucked head. The soldier¡¯s head outright explodes from the impact.

    In the second second, the girl aims her punch at the second soldier¡¯s torso. He doesn¡¯t explode when in contact this time, but the punch still leaves a big hole in his body, with her arm goes straight through it like butter.

    In the third second, the girl tries to be more gentle in this attempt, by the mean of strangling the neck. Instead of killing her enemy through asphyxiation, she outright squeezes his neck until it becomes a pulp of flesh and blood.

    In the fourth second, she resorts to punching again. But strangely, this time, her enemy actually gets blown away without having his body exploded like fireworks. There are still some serious dents on his armor though, and the guy keeps vomiting blood from internal wounds until he dies seconds later.

    All of this is as if¡­the girl is trying to test her newfound strength and power.

    At the final second, seeing no needs to experiment her strength anymore, the girl quickly kills the last guy by grabbing his face and slam it to the ground. The force she uses is so strong, his head becomes a part of the smashed ground, painting the place red in the process.

    Like how she disposed of the iron sword on her neck, the girl in red nonchalantly plucks out the swords and spears stuck in her body. The attacks may have made her clothes a bit more revealing, but the soldiers are more scared than aroused as the wounds caused by the soldiers are automatically healing themselves. The ugly red flesh rapidly revert back to the silky white skin praised in jealousy by other schoolgirls. Little did those girls know how a symbol of woman beauty can become a harbinger of terror to these human males.

    -Monster! She¡¯s a freaking monster!

    -Mages! Mages! Blow her to smithereens! Destroy her with everything you got!

    The battle mages ¨C despite being as terrified as the soldiers ¨C still decide to take on the girl with their spells. But the girl no longer stays a passive and immobile target. The moment she gets a hold of her strength, her hesitant also ends. The girl in red starts running toward the crowd, all while the soldiers try their best to prevent her from taking out their mages.

    -Die!

    Some bravery still remain inside the soldiers¡¯ hearts. They were taught on the principle of ¡®If it bleeds, we can kill it¡¯.. The problem is while the girl can bleed, with how hard it is to deal something that isn¡¯t scratch damage, on top of that is her regenerative power, it will probably take forever to make the girl die for good. Nevertheless, the soldiers don¡¯t hesitate, they keep boldly coming knowing they will die. And die, they do.

    Without any restrains, the red-haired girl unleashes her fury upon the doomed soldiers. Bodies explode and heads are crushed. Those who are lucky can get off with some of their body parts intact, yet that don¡¯t stop them from slowly bleeding to their death. But the girl isn¡¯t that cruel, she rarely gives someone the chance to stay alive after her first blow. It¡¯s like¡­the moment she touches you, you get exploded to a bloody pulp and die instantly. Maybe in her view, this is actually her way of expressing kindness and mercy to her enemies?

    -Eat this! You bloody beast!

    As the mages finish conjuring the spells, they shout their taunts. Many types of attacking spells make their path toward the girl with the intention of destroying her. However, the girl doesn¡¯t even bother to dodge the attacks. She holds her right arm toward the spells, and start taking the attacks head on. The fire spells burn her arm, and the ice ones freeze it instead. Some try to crush her with earth magic, or torture her by the use of lightning. All of them once again prove futile when the red-haired girl still stands strong after those attack. The burnt wounds, the frostbite wounds¡­all of them barely make it to the girl¡¯s bones, let alone her organs. Maybe they should feel proud for successfully stripping her off her shirt¡¯s right sleeve instead. If they keep up the good work, maybe they can have some lucky looks before their inevitable doom arrive.

    -Impossible!

    Say the mages as the girl stares at the puny humans. Her red eyes have changed. Her pupils have turned to that of a lizard¡¯s, with the red irises looking like they are alive and moving, a red flame with a hunger for things to burn. When their gazes meet, those who see her eyes feel like their whole soul is on fire, consumed by the blood lust and fury. It bring terror to their very being, and that¡¯s just the beginning of their end. When she have enough, the red-haired girl resumes her carnage and starts painting the white snow in blood red.

    Before the unknown might, no amount of bravery can turn the table against the girl. Everything the humans throw at her should be considered idiotic attempts as of now. This is no longer a fight against a fire mage, but a primal force of nature, a being beyond the humans¡¯ comprehension. Cowardice finally find the cracks it needs to possess the minds of these feeble humans. Their instinct act faster than their sense of duty. Their legs run faster than the beating heart that constantly reminding them of their original purpose. The men run, run, and when they stop running, the mere sight of the girl in red following behind is enough to get their legs working again.

    Soon, the battleground moves from before the castle gate to the middle of Darkwood forest. Divided, the girl slowly picks up her prey one by one. No one bother to resist anymore. They just resort to screaming and crying until they can¡¯t scream and cry anymore. The moment she unsealed herself, this battle is no longer a battle, it has become a carnage, something the girl desired when she gave up on fighting with words and ideals.

    ¡°So only violence can solve my problems¡­¡±

    Mumbles the girl as she catches up to her newest prey. She disables the man by snatching one of his legs off, and slowly approaches the man to deliver the killing punch.

    But she stops for a moment when she finally have a look around the place she¡¯s standing in.

    ¡°This place¡­¡±

    Her own garden. Her own haven. Made by her. Tended by her. It soothed her lonely heart, something no one has ever managed to. The scent of the flowers slowly mends the raging beast inside of her. Her bloodlust is halt for a moment, enough for the pitiful soldier to pray for his life.

    -Save me! General Origen...!

    Little does he know it is exactly his words that wake the girl from her peaceful state of mind. The girl is quickly reminded of her position as the predator, and she throws a punch at her prey as an act of gratitude.

    Shluk!

    However, her punch gets stopped, not by traditional means, but due to her arm being torn apart by some unknown attack. Her right arm gets slashed, not enough to separate it from her body, but still deep enough to almost make the deed comes true. This time, it is the girl¡¯s flowing blood that is used to paint the snow in red.

    The girl throws a look at her attacker. In front of her, there¡¯s a knight riding a white horse. The knight is tall, even taller than the girl herself. His right arm is holding a strange looking sword. A curved and slender blade. The girl has never seen a sword like that before, but perhaps her familiar is more familiar with this type of exotic weapon. After all, it is very similar to the signature weapon from the land of his birth.

    But the girl pays no heed to the strange sword that cut her arm. She is more intrigued by the owner of that blade. He is a knight clad in white armor, with a white cape behind his back. His armor looks like it is made from the best of steels, and on various places it is branded with the symbol of the white cross. His helm¡¯s visor is also mold after the cross symbol, but it still does a very good job of hiding the face of the mysterious knight. But no matter how hard he¡¯s trying to conceal his own identity, the armor itself is a dead giveaway of who he is, and what he¡¯s truly capable of.

    His name is quickly chanted by the mouth of the crying soldier.

    -General¡­Origen!

    -------------------------

    ¡¸West Bridge ¨C A few minutes after the beginning of the battle¡¹

    The oncoming army is still charging at the castle with all of their vigor. The demon soldiers really don¡¯t expect an army that had marched through the Dark Line can still retain much of their strength like this. But their wandering thoughts quickly vanish the moment both sides clash their blades.

    Back to the commanding position on top of the West Gate, Nilrem is still looking at the mysterious old mage on the other side of the bridge. Despite the ongoing attack, none of the human soldiers actually take the main bridge as their charging route. The old mage keeps staring at the witch in grey without doing anything notable.

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    The witch in grey looks slightly pissed. As an attempt to cool her boss off, the witch beside her ¨C Walpurga ¨C quickly strikes a conversation.

    ¡°Do you think that girl¡­Deborah¡­can hold the North-East ward by herself?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not positive.¡±

    Says Nilrem.

    ¡°Deborah¡­she inherited Dargoth¡¯s kindness¡­a useless thing to have in a chaotic era like this.¡±

    ¡°But why did you still rely on her for that place''s defense?¡±

    Asks Walpurga.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t rely on her nor asking her to do it. She just went there by herself and that just happened to be the place we¡¯re lacking manpower to defend. That girl, for all of her hatred, she still wants to defend Dargoth¡¯s castle¡­¡±

    Nilrem starts to look at the sky with a complicated face, all while mumbling to herself.

    ¡°I¡¯ll depend on you this time, Deborah. Go on and fulfill your duty¡­as the last flame dragon.¡±

 Chapter 29: The duel between Mages

    ¡¸West Bridge¡¹

    The battle gradually grows fiercer as time passes by. Mixing the sound of clashing swords and broken shields are the screams of pain and death. Bodies from both side quickly start dropping like flies, either on the castle''s wall, trampled under the foots of those still fighting, or falling to the dark valley beneath, resting inside the abyss beneath the surface world.

    However, there''s still one place which refuses to dance to the tune of the God of War. The place thought to be the main site of the siege battle now proves to be the only place without any fighting going on. On the West bridge, the elderly mage still resides as its only human combatant. In contrast, the demon soldiers above the walls are looking tense from the pressure the human mage possesses. All, except the Archsage Nilrem, who''s still calmly analyzing the current situation.

    "How can his spell bypass the castle''s defensive barrier!?"

    Says a commander. It is common knowledge that Melas castle is protected by a magic barrier that wards off spells and beings with powerful soul energy. Surely as the aggressors with the intention of taking over the castle, this human army must have come up a way to bypass such powerful defense.

    "Didn''t I tell you? The humans are known for their cleverness."

    The Headmaster answers, with a smirk on a face as if it''s something to be expected. She seems amused with how things just turn out, even when the magic barrier people putting their trust on fails to do its purpose.

    "The magic barrier was designed to ward off powerful spells, namely, those with power on par with my own ¡¸Thunder God¡¹. To be exact, it will protect the castle from spells stronger than Class Seven. That''s how I designed it, after all."

    The Headmaster explains.

    "However, that means spells under Class Seven can still bypass the barrier. Earth Surge is a Class Six spell, mere manipulation of the Earth would certainly passes the requirement of the barrier."

    The witch Walpurga continues Nilrem''s lesson in a brief way so that the other commanders can understand what''s happening.

    "But to conjure that many stone bridges. That can''t be a mere Class Six magic!"

    One of the commanders replies.

    "Indeed. Earth Surge normally can only create one huge chunk of earth to be manipulated by the will of the user. To be able to conjure so many in a short time...We just got ourselves one skilled mage as enemy, I see."

    The Headmaster seems excited, which really puts her at odds with the other commanders, who have no place in their mind to store their respect for the enemy mage. Nonetheless, they can only keep themselves on stand by until there are further orders from Nilrem.

    Of course, the elderly mage doesn''t have time to wait. His allies are dying, and he can''t afford something as luxurious as patience.

    -Nilrem Erramun!

    The old mage shouts. His voice is surprisingly loud for an old man.

    -I am Niccolo Guerra of Ignis, and I demand your presence!

    An open declaration. Nilrem hears it, of course, but she doesn''t instantly reply to such an bold declaration like that. She''s wondering if the humans have some kind of plan, but there''s nothing to gain by merely standing in safety on the stone walls of Melas.

    -I am Nilrem. What is it that you want, o Niccolo of Ignis?

    Nilrem finally decides to show up and shout her reply to the old mage.

    -I request a duel between you and me, Archsage! A battle of mages to the death. With no one interfering.

    Niccolo declares his intention. Surely duels happen all the time during a bloody war, but they are usually limited to generals fighting alongside his men on the frontline, fighting face to face to the other general with victory as the ante. But this isn''t a normal battle on an open field, it''s a siege battle, and duel between mages is often unheard of.

    -What are the stakes? Mister Niccolo. Surely, you can give me a better reason to force me out of my comfy castle walls.

    Nilrem replies. The old mage strokes his long white beard as he gives his response.

    -It''s very simple, dear great Archsage. If I win, you die. You win, I die. We are at war here, it''s all about defeating the enemy. Of course, you have your army and castle walls behind your back. You have no reason to accept the challenge from this old man. I understand it very well.

    Niccolo smirks. It doesn''t seem like he will easily give up his desire for a duel between mages.

    -After all, what little valor or honor you have left had already been tossed to the dumpster the moment you betrayed your realm and brethren, am I right? O ¡¸Treacherous Witch, Nilrem Erramun¡¹!

    Nilrem doesn''t respond. However, as her closest aid, the witch Walpurga knows Nilrem is merely hiding her rage beneath her fa?ade of tranquility. She knows it''s never a good thing to make an Archsage angry, especially if that Archsage is Nilrem Erramun.

    Without any warning, Nilrem jumps out of her high walls and descends below, surprising her subordinates in the process. As her body nearly hits the ground, a tender wind floats her body and slowly allows her feet to touch the ground. A simple descent, but still enough to impress the old mage in the other side of the bridge.

    -Tell me, mage.

    Nilrem speaks, with a tone as cold as the winter ice.

    -How would you like to die?

    The old mage seems amused. He continues stroking his beard as a taunt.

    -I don''t live for a hundred years just to die in this demons'' shit hole.

    The old mage suddenly spits on the ground, demonstrating his disgust.

    -Before we fight, please give me some explanations, witch. What did the demons have to offer to make you betray your comrades and fight for Demon King Dargoth? Was it worth it to turn you back to the legendary Savior Erdrick and his companions? To turn your back against the country of your birth, Ignis? To betray the famed wizard clan Erramun of the Light? And to disappoint the wizards who looked up to you as the greatest Archsage of this world a thousand years ago?

    Nilrem yawns.

    -I don''t know. A castle and its lordship, maybe? What did the high wizards of Ignis give you? Don''t tell me it''s your tattered cloak that look like a used floor rug? Our servants got paid better than that, you know?

    The old mage frowns in annoyance.

    -So the ancient records are true. The traitorous witch was very good at getting on people''s nerve¡­

    Niccolo mumbls.

    -There are other records about me that weren''t about my treachery? I''m flattered!

    -That wasn''t an compliment.

    The old mage looks angry. For the past few minutes, the role of the aggressor rapidly switches to the side of the Headmaster.

    -But it is, to me. You see, when you did something as outrageous as betraying someone who they baptized as the great Savior of the Heaven Realm, they would love to rub that into your face for a whole thousand years with their so-called historical records, or legends if we''re being fancy. If they even bothered to record something about me that didn''t concern my treachery, isn''t that a very good thing? For me, at the very least. Hahahahaha.

    -Hmm. Laugh all you can for now, witch. Today, your legend ends here!

    The old man bursts out a strange aura, enough to stop the old witch''s annoying laugh. Those who are soul energy-sensitive can sense that the mage is already in his battle mode. He''s no longer in the mood for a trash talk.

    -Well then. I shall allow you the privilege to try.

    Nilrem takes out a thin paper scroll from inside her cloak. As she holds it on her hand, the scroll suddenly burst into fire, but it quickly disperses and turns into six flying balls of light. The balls drop down to the earth below, creating a "Thump" sound. And from the earth, six item rise from below. All of them are magic staves, the same type as the magic staff Nilrem is holding. With a wave of her hand, all six staves pluck themselves from the ground and hover behind the witch''s back. A strange technique unknown to the old mage of Ignis, but nonetheless something he expects from the one who was crowned as the Archsage, the most powerful mage of them all.

    -Prepare yourself!

    Niccolo shouts. He begins the fight with a simple attack. As he starts chanting his spell, a part of the ground behind him grumbles. From the ground, three huge chunks of earth get lifted to the air and shoot at Nilrem with the force of a cannon ball.

    But the witch doesn''t start the duel without preparations of her own. She too chants her own spell. The amber on top of all seven of her magic staves start glowing. Using her free hand, Nilrem conjures a huge barrier. Unlike the weak barriers used by common mage, Nilrem''s barrier is practically flooded with ancient runes on its body and very visible to the eye. This is an unknown spell, even to someone who practically spent all his life studying the path of magic like Niccolo. The earth cannonballs are crushed to pieces as they make contact with the high-class defensives barrier.

    -Impressive!

    Even when he''s the enemy, the old mage can''t help but feel amazed from seeing a living Archsage in action.

    -Watch this.

    Says Nilrem. She circles her hand in the air, and suddenly, the defensive barrier in front of her mold itself into the shape of an incorporeal spear. With a thrust from her hand, the spear shoots itself toward the old mage as the payback from the earth barrage earlier.

    -Protect me, my tome!

    Using his last resort, the old mage brings out his mystical tome. He opens wide the book and shield himself using its blank page. The spear makes contact to the thick tome, but fails to push the old mage away. The tome''s magic defense is too high for the barrier spear to do its job. That isn''t the end of it, however. The tome''s pages separate themselves from the book and surround the spear, covering every single inches with paper. As the old mage chants his spell, the pages glow and explode, destroying the barrier spear in the process.

    However, by the time Niccolo is finished, the old witch has already put in the final touch for her next offensive spell. Her hovering magic staves rotate in the air, switching from the vertical stand to a horizontal formation, with their ambers aiming toward the old mage like guns.

    -Erramun clan''s magic, ¡¸Thunder Barrage¡¹

    The staff Nilrem''s holding starts glowing, from there, a surge of lightning bursts out, linking with the other staves like a lightning conductor. Powered with the element of lightning, the magic staves themselves rapidly shoot lightning bolts toward Niccolo, with speed resembling a machine gun. Facing six magic staves rapidly shooting at him from every angle at his front, Niccolo has no choice but to continue putting up his defenses.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    With a quick chant, the old mage''s tome starts shooting out more pages, despite the tome becoming thinner and thinner with more pages coming out of it. Each paper flies out, blocking the lightning bolts with its body. Some manage to accomplish this job, but each page can only hold out a fixed number of bolts before their endurance run out. Roughly a hundred pages of paper are blocking a rapid barrage of lightning from the other side. It all look like a game of catch that involves papers and lightning.

    -I won''t allow it to end like this!

    Shouts the old mage. Using the spare papers available, he commands them to fold themselves into paper planes, and shoots all of them toward the witch on the opposite of the bridge. The paper planes themselves are few in number, but because of their small size, they manage to slip through the oncoming lightning barrage. By the time Nilrem understands what''s happening, it''s already too late. Some of her staves manage to shoot down the paper planes, but one luckily slipped out from their range and directly thrust itself at Nilrem''s right arm.

    -Urggh!

    The old witch groans in pain. Even when it''s just a paper plane, to Nilrem, it''s the same as being stabbed by a knife. However, that''s merely the beginning. The paper plane itself suddenly gets hotter. Before she puts herself in danger, Nilrem pulls out the paper plane herself with her free left arm and throws it to the dark valley below. It exploded halfway of its fall. Should Nilrem was late in disposing the plane, she would find herself being blown apart, effectively ending the duel.

    However, that isn''t the end of her worries. The paper planes are just mere distraction. The main attack is a huge chunk of earth that extends itself from the ground below Niccolo''s. Another ¡¸Earth Surge¡¹ spell, but on a smaller scale.

    -Tch!

    Without any other choices, Nilrem can only throw herself to the side to dodge the oncoming chunk of earth. It crushes the place Nilrem was standing earlier to pieces. If this huge piece of earth is bigger, it may have took Nilrem''s legs even when she dodged away. However, it''s also a sign of relief for the old woman, as the size isn''t the same to the ones used as bridges. It means Niccolo himself is running low on soul energy. Of course he is, even if it''s just a Class Six spell, conjuring that many earth bridges would surely sap his soul energy away.

    As the attacks make the witch''s concentration waver, the staves themselves stop shooting, and resume their standby mode by hovering behind Nilrem once again.

    -I''m impressed. I met many crazy people before, but none were crazy enough to take a mere incantation quickening tool and honed it to be such deadly weapon.

    The old man on the other side strokes his beard and smirks from Nilrem''s praise.

    -Of course it is. This is my life greatest work! Something that I spent nearly a hundred years trying to perfect.

    -Does it has a name?

    Asks Nilrem. Niccoly only chuckles for a bit before replying.

    -It doesn''t have a name¡­not yet. I was too busying honing it to meet the standard I put myself. It needs to be powerful enough to worthy of becoming my tool. However, as I am the type who put all his focus to do something, I usually forgo what trivial things that come along. So, that''s the reason why this tome hasn''t got a proper name yet.

    Suddenly, the old man points his finger toward Nilrem as he loudly declares.

    -But, after this battle, I shall bestow upon it the name ¡¸Sage Slayer¡¹! It will be remembered by the deeds that can only make possible using its power!

    Nilrem seems amused, but still, she stays silent without giving any response.

    -About your compliment earlier, thank you. To have my prowess being recognized by an Archsage is an honor.

    Niccolo bows his head in respect. But his face changes the moment he pulls it back up. He frowns with anger in his eyes.

    -However, the same can''t be said about you. For an Archsage, your performance earlier was a bit¡­lacking.

    The old mage criticizes.

    -If you were serious, I would be dead by now. But I don''t think you have the luxury to afford playing around, as your comrades lay dying by seconds. However, knowing how the barrier around Melas works, it''s understandable that you would consider using low-tier spells like earlier. But, with your famed magical power, even low-tier spells would prove to be deadly against an old mage like me.

    The witch seems to have caught on to something, she keeps her silence, as if afraid to spill out her secrets should she continue speaking.

    -Another thing, your staves. As you know, staves are magic power amplifiers. But even when powered by six staves at the same time, your spells'' power still proved too pitiful to someone with the title Archsage. Not to mention your casting speed. If you were capable of it, you would destroy my Earth Surge with a spell without needing to dodge it yourself.

    The old mage smirks. He finally catches on to the old witch''s secret.

    -I have finally found out your secret, Archsage Nilrem Erramun! The secret behind your immortality, of how a great witch like yourself could survive for a thousand years! Your magic power! THAT, is the key behind your long lifespan! You sacrificed your magic power to maintain your own life force. THAT''s the price you paid so you can live till this day!

    The old witch can do naught but smile, but is it a smile of accepting defeat, or something else?

    -With your current magical power, even a mere mage like me can still take down someone who claimed herself as "Archsage"! I shall hold back no longer, because my comrades are also dying as I speak. Embrace your doom, Nilrem Erramun!

    Niccolo throws his tome to the air. The tome starts flipping the pages by itself, shooting out every pages inside the book until all that left is its spine. The white pages almost cover the whole space behind Niccolo. As per his command, all the pages starts flying toward Nilrem, waves upon waves.

    -Erramun clan''s magic, ¡¸Thunder Shield¡¹!

    As a last resort, Nilrem commands her staves to spread out and pluck themselves around her area, effectively making a circle. The old witch thrust the staff on her hand at the center of the circle and starts chanting. The amber on her staff glows, creating more lightning which chain with the other staves, creating a shelter made of lightning. It blocks all the oncoming papers, but can do nothing but letting itself be covered by all of them, creating something that looks like a furball made of paper if looking from an outer perspective.

    -DIE!

    Shouts Niccolo. His command has been given. All the papers start glowing, increasing in temperature, and at the same time, they explode.

    BOOM!

    A black smoke rises from the site of the explosion. The other demons on top of the walls have watched the duel from beginning up until this time. Of course, with how the two mages communicate in their human native tongue, the demons barely understand what was going on except for the flashy magical attacks. However, this time, they are genuine worry for Nilrem''s welfare. After all, she is the lord of the castle, and grand commander of Melas''s defense. If she were to die, it will be a huge loss for the demons, especially at this phase of the siege.

    "The smoke. They''re gone."

    Says a demon soldier. Like he said, a wind flows by, slowly taking away the black smoke, revealing the aftermath of the duel.

    At the explosion site, Nilrem''s staves still remain. But the woman herself is no more. The explosion broke through her barrier, killing her in the process. Her remains are barely there. Most of her body has already turned to ash, only her right hand somehow is still intact, as it continues to hold firm of the staff at the circle''s central, even when the rest has already gone. To withstood an explosion of that caliber and still got out untouched, the staves themselves must had been made with valuable materials. Nilrem herself, however, wasn''t.

    Nilrem Erramun is dead, killed by Niccolo Guerra of Ignis.

    "No¡­!"

    "Impossible."

    "The Archsage¡­killed?"

    Confusion starts growing in the heart of the demons. However, Niccolo doesn''t let that take away his joy of victory.

    -AHAHAHAHA! I FINALLY DID IT! I KILLED THE ARCHSAGE HERSELF!

    The victorious old man laughed out loud like a maniac. But considering the weight of his achievement, it''s justifiable for him to have such an outburst.

    -Even though I destroyed my whole life''s work in the process, it''s still worth it! I showed those bastards at Ignis my worth! The shame I endured for a hundred years has finally bear fruit! Who''s laughing now, conceited sons of bitches! This is the power of my effort, something that can triumph over natural talent!

    Suddenly, Niccolo opens wide his arm.

    -The time has come, my brethren! The biggest obstacle to our victory has been destroyed! It''s time for us to do what has to be done! The mission bestowed to us by Origen himself!

    Even if there is someone who can understand the human''s tongue among the demons on the wall, they will surely think of Niccolo as a mad man ranting from his victory. But soon, that opinion quickly vanishes as the space around the dead forest of the west somehow starts to distort and finally breaks, revealing a full regiment of armed soldiers waiting behind.

    "What the? From when¡­!?"

    The demon commanders cannot believe their eyes. A whole regiment of soldiers right beneath their notice, waiting from the beginning. They are cheering for Niccolo with their swords held high. The barrier which hide their existence is no more, revealing their battle cries that can pierce even the sky. Niccolo''s victory over Nilrem brings morale to an estranged army, and takes it away from the demons on the walls.

    -Charge! My brethren! We shall be the one to take down Melas castle today!

    With his command, the soldiers start charging toward the castle walls, and Niccolo himself also joins the fray as vanguard.

    "All soldiers in battle station! Archers! Shoot them out!"

    Shout the commanders. The witch''s sudden death surely make things worse for them. The archers obey the order, but their job gets harder the moment the human soldiers bring out their shields.

    Back to Niccolo, as Melas''s West Gate is still shut tight, it depends on him - the most powerful mage on this bridge ¨C to deal with it. As he passes by Nilrem''s remains, however, he stops his track for a bit.

    -I shall take this as my trophy.

    The old mage grabs a hold of Nilrem''s staff and throws away her remaining hand like a piece of trash. With the human soldiers catching up to him, Niccolo once again takes charge.

    -None shall stop me! The Sage Slayer!

    His soul energy is almost spent, if this continue any longer, there will be long lasting effects. But Nilrem''s staff solves this problem. It''s an magic amplifier that can increase the power of a spell with the same cost. It only takes one Earth Surge enhanced by her staff to break the Gate. How ironic, the staff which belongs to the castle''s protector gets used as a tool to destroy it instead. Without a gate to hold them, the human army march on to the castle ground, with Niccolo as leader.

    However, they are met with an unpleasant surprise.

    "Mages! Release your spell!"

    Shouts Walpurga with a group of mages beside her as they release the spell they have been charging before Nilrem''s death. The combined magic force of the Demon Realm''s mages unleash a huge stream of water to the army marching through the Gate. The water stream washes away the human soldiers like a tidal wave, pushing a lot of them off the bridge to fall to their death below the dark valley. But that is the least devastating effect of this spell.

    -My skins! They''re melting!

    The soldiers that luckily escape from their death by falling find themselves unluckily face their death by melting instead. That water melts even swords and armors, let alone human skin. Soon, the human''s forces halt its march and resort to screaming in pain before death eventually come to them, after the pain decides it''s boring to torment them further, of course.

    "Go, Ferdelin. Unleash hell!"

    The witch Walpurga''s pet cat runs away from her shoulder. A black mist surrounds its body and enlarges the cat to its original size, revealing itself as a giant black furious cat that is Walpurga''s familiar. The cat lunges through the bridge, and starts wreaking havoc to the soldiers who hasn''t put their foot on the bridge.

    -Im¡­possible.

    Surprisingly, Niccolo is still alive, barely. He managed to conjure a quick barrier to defend himself, but the duel earlier cost him too much soul energy to make the barrier strong enough. Like before, Nilrem''s staff is unharmed, and so is the upper half of the old mage. The bottom half however not so much, since he was the first to get caught by the full water stream. He groans in pain, and in anger, knowing he got caught to a trap.

    A trap made by Nilrem herself.

    "A little help please, Walpurga."

    A voice comes out from the strange coffin beside the demon mages. As her name gets called, Walpurga rushes to the side of the coffin. She presses a button, and the coffin bursts open. A cold fog starts pouring outside, creating a mysterious atmosphere befitting the entrance of the being inside.

    Nilrem Erramun.

    Or rather, someone resembling the Archsage. Inside the coffin is a person, a girl in her teen age, roughly about sixteen. She is as nude as a newborn baby, which allows her figure and assets of a young girl to show themselves. What''s special about her is her facial features and hair style. They are the same as Nilrem Erramun, the same grey long hair, the same grey eyes of wisdom, the same smugness of a powerful witch, only younger, fitting her current form of an teenage girl.

    "Welcome back, Headmaster. How''s the new vessel?"

    "Better than that ten years old shell, to start with."

    Before someone get killed from distraction thanks to their libido, Walpurga brings out a cloak to cover the newborn Headmaster, restoring her modesty in the process and gives the demon commanders their focus back.

    -But¡­how¡­?

    The half-dead Niccolo mumbles.

    -As you know, soul energy is the bond created from the energy of the soul and body.

    With her cloak covering her nude body, Nilrem walks toward the old mage as she speaks.

    -In a sense, soul energy shares the same link with the soul and body. But what would happen when you put a soul into another body?

    The young Headmaster asks, and answers her own question with her next line.

    -They reject each other. You can''t just use any key to open a specific lock, of course. That''s why I created a master key for any locks, that is modifying my soul to be able to inhabit artificial bodies. THAT, is my secret, Niccolo Guerra. The reason to explain my lack of magic power is of course, because of my unnatural existence, there''s a limit of how an unnatural soul and unnatural body can unite, which can''t be change no matter what I did. But that¡­is the price I paid, just to live to this day.

    -So¡­that''s why¡­I failed.

    Niccolo mumbles. His voice grows weaker. Soon, he will die in vain, without completing any of his goals.

    -That''s not the reason why you failed. The first reason, is because you think I am the most powerful mage to defend the castle. The second reason, is because you think I''m prideful enough to engage you in your duel when provoked. The third reason, is because you think you can defeat me, the Archsage Nilrem Erramun.

    The old mage stares at the young witch. That doesn''t stop the girl from babbling.

    -I met my fair share of mages like you. Just because they holed themselves up for a few hundred years, they think they are strong enough to give themselves the right to stand above others. If you need something to blame, Niccolo, blame your own ignorance and blindness.

    -You used¡­unhonorable tactics¡­may Lielos¡­forever curse an existence¡­such as yours.

    The young Headmaster takes back her staff, returning it to its rightful owner. The staff''s amber glows, creating a small spearhead made of lightning, effectively turning her staff into a lightning spear.

    -Well, you know what they called me, ¡¸Treacherous Witch¡¹, Nilrem Erramun. Like you said earlier, my valor and honor had already been tossed to the dumpster during my betrayal.

    Shnk!

    With no hesitantion, Nilrem thrusts the lightning spear through Niccolo''s heart, finally freeing him from his torment of the physical plain.

    -Come back and fight me when you get yourself another nine hundred years of training, if next life exists.

    The witch no longer pays any attention to the dead mage, and proceeds to continue directing the war ahead.

 Chapter 30: The dragon and the paladin

    ¡¸North-East Area ¨C Darkwood forest¡¹

    As the stare down between dragon and human drags on longer, the poor soldier who was wounded by Deborah earlier quickly gets saved by his other comrades, they drag him out before the battle between the Paladin and the Dragon begins. Other soldiers use their chance to escape, but a few still remain to watch the following fight between man and dragon unfolds.

    -Go, horsie!

    The man with the cross armor pulls his white horse¡¯s rein as he yells his order. The horse obeys. It does a diagonal run toward Deborah and close the space between them, enough to be in its master¡¯s blade reach, bu still not enough to get hit by the dragon girl¡¯s punch.

    Of course, Deborah¡¯s not a fool to just stand there and get herself slashed like an idiot. The dragon girl charges. She rushes toward the man in armor, pushing some force to the ground for an uppercut, aiming directly at the man¡¯s torso.

    -Too slow, wench!

    The man dodges without getting off his horse by bending backward to almost impossible degree a human body can afford, which leaves Deborah¡¯s body open for a riposte from the man¡¯s curved blade.

    -Hyaa!

    The man in armor lets the arm holding the rein free for a brief moment and uses it in unison with his sword arm, pulling all his strength for a swing at Deborah¡¯s neck. By reflex, Deborah uses her arm trying to block the attack, but the sword gets through the meat and bone of the dragon and find itself attached to the girl¡¯s silky white neck, which soon gets soaked in her crimson blood. However, even with such an attack, the man in armor fails to separate Deborah¡¯s head with the rest of her body.

    ¡®The block earlier must had reduced my strength¡¯ ¨C Thinks the man. Failing to achieve a quick victory, the man in armor channels all his strength to his curved blade and pushes Deborah away from him before the immortal dragon gets her chance to retaliate.

    -It hurts¡­!

    Deborah groans as she falls to the ground, dirtying the white snow with her blood as she tries to stand again. Her right arm no longer has its hand attached, which of course allowing streams and streams of blood to soak the snow in red. Her neck isn¡¯t any better, it¡¯s halfway from separating her head and the rest of her body. A normal human would already be dead if they are in her current condition, but Deborah however isn¡¯t a human, she¡¯s not even ¡°normal¡± when using any common standard that this world knows.

    -Does it hurt, wench?

    Asks the man on the white horse.

    -You should taste some more pain. This is barely a fitting punishment for killing my lads.

    The man¡¯s cross-shaped helmet covers most of his face, reducing a bit of his vision, but even he can see the killing intent endlessly flowing through Deborah¡¯s dragon slit eyes. His arms silently shakes from his fear instinct, but they stop once he manages to regain his composure. This is the first time he feels something like this, which keeps him wondering what sort of creature he¡¯s current facing is.

    -Origen! Origen! Origen! Origen!

    The other soldiers cheer. Their general is winning. If they can¡¯t fight a dragon head-on, the least they can do is cheering for someone who can.

    Back to Deborah. She¡¯s still bleeding from her wounds, but they soon stop as Deborah recovers from her own bloodlust. From the rest of her right arm, a flame bursts out and burns her arm. Slowly, it mends the wounded parts and regenerates the hand that was destroyed. Her neck also heals itself by this sort of method. However, ¡°method¡± is the wrong word to use when applied to Deborah. This is merely a natural ability of a living Dragon, ¡¸Endless Regeneration¡¹. As long as there is life in her heart, a Dragon will endlessly regenerate itself from any kind of mortal wounds it received by absorbing the soul energy surrounding the world. Dragons are an unstoppable primal force of destruction in the rare chance they decide to take on the battlefield. The only way to stop a rampaging Dragon is to kill them for good. A feat that is nigh-impossible to perform in this modern world.

    -What sort of creature¡­are you?

    The man asks, while arrogantly points his curved blade toward the girl.

    -Dragon.

    Deborah bluntly answers. A simple truth that brings these common men fear and despair.

    When you meet a Dragon, either you run, or die. The soldiers chose to stand their ground, so it was natural for them to drop like flies once Deborah made up her mind to join the fray. If the man they called Origen hasn¡¯t stepped in, this human regiment probably have already been destroyed by now, which speaks volumes about the mysterious man¡¯s own capability.

    -A Dragon? To think those mythical beasts actually exist...But no matter, if you bleed, I can kill you. If you won¡¯t die, I¡¯ll just kill you until you do.

    The man doesn¡¯t seem to be knowledgeable about Dragons and their immortality. Nonetheless, Deborah admits that the man himself is strong and have the guts a General should have. She needs to recollect her thought and form a proper battle plan that doesn¡¯t involve throwing more punches until he¡¯s dead.

    Deborah is a dragon who, until recently, was in a dormant state before releasing a small portion of her enormous dragon power. Deborah is at her weakest right now, but a weak Dragon is a Dragon nonetheless. The sickly dragon Alwaid, even when near his death bed, managed to destroy roughly a thousand battle hardened Orcish warrior monks by himself, after all. Deborah¡¯s current strength is probably unrivaled by none, but in term of martial skills, an experienced man like the one they call Origen trumps her over. Deborah may have the power to crush mountains with her hands, but she¡¯s no martial artist who mastered the art of close combat. Not to mention his own special skill, ¡¸Soul Enhancement¡¹.

    Even when she¡¯s donning the form of a feeble human, her flesh and skin is still much denser and tougher than normal humans. Ordinary weapons won¡¯t be able to easily cut through her body, and Deborah also thinks the man¡¯s curved blade doesn¡¯t have any special abilities aside from its unique design. That leaves Soul Enhancement, a technique Deborah once saw her friend Caelan performed on his fists. By concentrating soul energy onto an object, the user can raise its attribute several times over, granting it more power and endurance. But it¡¯s a difficult technique to use, as it requires intense concentration to keep the weapon constantly buffed. The man before her is, by no mean, a pushover. Deborah needs to go all out if she wants to win.

    The man riding the white horse is waiting for her next move, and he fully intends to counter whatever she throws at him. If she recklessly charges again only to throw more punches, probably her head will roll on the ground for real this time.

    ¡®I don¡¯t want to do this, but there¡¯s no other way.¡¯

    Deborah knows what needs to be done, that doesn¡¯t mean she is not allowed to grieve. Behind the thick skin and blood of a dragon, she still has a beating heart to feel emotion. But there are times where emotions need to be sacrificed to accomplish one¡¯s goal. This is one of those time.

    Deborah takes a deep breath.

    -¡­!

    It costs him a second, but the man in armor finally figures it out.

    -Men, scatter!

    He shouts his order and rides his horse away when he realizes what¡¯s Deborah doing.

    She intends to live up to her namesake as the last Flame Dragon, and does that by breathing a trail of fire aiming at the man in armor.

    -Damn you, lizard!

    The man cusses. He skillfully commands his white horse to jump sideway, effectively evades the stream of dragon fire that is burning everything on its path. Some soldiers manage to evade the attack, but some aren¡¯t so lucky and find themselves reduced to mere embers, continuously burning until only ashes are left. A part of the forest gets burned from Deborah¡¯s fire, another part starts to burn when that fire starts spreading out. However, what pains Deborah the most is watching the little garden she made herself burns from her own attack. A cost she willingly chose to pay, just to corner the enemy before her.

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    ¡®Forgive my foolishness, my flowers.¡¯

    Deborah takes another breath, this time, she spits out a fireball to the air, which explodes in midair and rains down a barrage of smaller fireballs, effectively destroy what little remains of her own garden. The trees that she used to sleep by. The flowers that she spent so much efforts to grow. All the memories she has in this place, all burned to ashes, along with the soldiers who get caught on by the rain of fireballs.

    -You pyromaniac lizard!

    Even when facing a literal rain of fire, the man in armor shows no fear. Skillfully dodging the falling fires, the man rides his horse toward Deborah with his blade in hand. He¡¯s no longer able to afford standing by and watch his men die. The man rides past Deborah, slashing her right arm in the process. Red blood bursts out from Deborah¡¯s wound, but she endures the pain and awaits another attack. Several fireballs drop down near the man in armor, but he either dodges them with his horse, or cuts them apart with his enhanced blade.

    -Your kind should have never come back to this world!

    Says Origen. He pulls the rein of his horse and turns himself around, making a drift on the snow with his horse. Even so, he never once lose balance. The man is a natural born horse rider. Even if Deborah uses her speed to catch up with his horse, it¡¯s still too high of a disadvantage for her to fight a skilled rider like him.

    Which is why she needs to dismount him first, by the mean of eliminating his horse.

    -Charge!

    The man once again charges. His blade is ready. As quick as a gust of wind, he once again cuts through a part of Deborah¡¯s neck, this time he successfully makes the wound deeper, only inches from making her head rolling. If Deborah uses her bare hands to block his blade, she won¡¯t be breathing through her neck right now.

    But if she uses her hands, she won¡¯t be able to punch the white horse away along with its rider like what she intended to do from the start.

    -What!?

    The force from a dragon¡¯s punch lifts the horse and a grown man in armor three meters apart from the ground. In order not to be crushed under the weight of his horse, the rider chooses to forsake the animal, and jumps out halfway in midair. The man lands safely, even with his armor weighting him down. The horse however gets its body slammed to a burning tree nearby. It groans from the pain. There¡¯s no visible grievous injury from the outside, but the man knows the white horse is already at its end. Even when Deborah herself holds back, the punch already destroys most of the horse¡¯s internal organs, not to mention the damage from the fall afterward. It only has seconds atmost to live its life in agony.

    -Easy, fella. Easy. You¡¯ll meet your true master in the afterlife soon. Be patient, will ya?

    The rider gives the horse a quick pat on the head as he comforts the animal, before running his blade down to its heart, quickly ends its suffering. Deborah feels anxious. Losing her garden is a big emotional loss for the girl, but to the man in armor, losing his dear horse feels probably much worse. She¡¯s no longer in the mood to fight. The burning forest only makes her sadder, so Deborah casts a quick spell to gather her burning flame back to her side and disperse them completely. All that left in the forest are burned trees, ashes, and the few soldiers who luckily survive up until now.

    -You¡¯re not General Origen, are you?

    Says Deborah as the man in armor is done mourning.

    -Your speech manner, your way of fighting. They don¡¯t fit the image of a dreaded Paladin that I heard from the demon soldiers. Not to mention what you just said to that horse...If you¡¯re not the enemy general, I won¡¯t pursue if you and your comrades flee from here.

    Deborah makes her proposal. By now, her wounds are already healed. All his efforts in wounding earlier are for naught.

    -Just, never return here again. I¡¯m sick of fighting and destroying¡­

    The man stands up. His blade still soaked in the blood of his horse. He swings his blade sideway, cleaning the blade merely by force.

    -You are right about one thing, Dragon chick. I am not General Origen. A punk like me can never be someone as great as him.

    The man takes off his helmet and drops it to the ground, following alongside are his armor, his gauntlets¡­everything that helps people identify him as the one they called Origen. Without that disguise, all that left is a young man with black raven hair wearing green nomadic clothing beneath. He is tall, nearly as tall as Deborah herself. He has green emerald eyes. There is a weird piece of cloth with nomadic embroidery covering a part of his head. His age is roughly the same as Akuma, and aside from his emerald eyes, the two look somewhat alike. Considering his attire and horsemanship, Deborah deduces that this young man is from the Southern continent, part of a nomadic branch of humans called the ¡¸Beastmasters¡¹.

    -But don¡¯t you dare think for a second that I¡¯ll pussy out of this fight just because you¡¯re a big ass fire-breathing Dragon!

    He brandishs his curved blade, with a bright smile on his face. There is no hint of sadness on the face of a young man who just lost his horse and his comrades, only a hopeful smile of confidence.

    -How can you smile like that, even after what just happened? How can you still desire to fight, even when it¡¯s foolish to try again?

    Disturbed, Deborah asks. She already have her hands full with the stubborness of her own familiar, but to think her enemy possesses that same stubborness...

    -Well, I¡¯ll be lying to say I¡¯m not sad over dear horsie. But being sad...is a luxury I can¡¯t afford right now. My pals out there? They are still fighting just to get here. Knowing that alone is enough to give me the strength to fight. I can¡¯t let my pals down, can¡¯t I? They fought hard to give me the chance to be here. I ain¡¯t going to turn my back and forgo their sacrifices like a sissy! I will continue fighting, even if my enemy is a living Dragon herself!

    Deborah is pissed, very pissed. She grins her teeth with enough force to crush normal teeth if her teeth are normal. The girl seems to have a knack for meeting stubborn fools. But at this point, Deborah is already used to it. Words are useless. The courageous won¡¯t back down from anything, even when hell is breaking lose, even when a war is happening near their door, even when the opponent is an immortal dragon. Deborah gives up, there¡¯s no point trying to reach a peaceful way to end this. They¡¯re too foolish to listen, and too courageous to obey.

    There¡¯s only one thing left to do, something she must do, if that is her fate to meet this type of people.

    -Before we start, tell me your name, brave one.

    Deborah resumes her fighting stance. Her dragon eyes rapidly resumes radiating the dread aura of a dragon.

    -The name is Gust, the one and only Gust of the Empyrean Mercs!

    The young man Gust swings his blade and gets to his fighting stance as well, with both his feets goes backward, along with his blade. His unmounted fighting style will be a lot different than being mounted. However, that will not stop Deborah from doing what she must. Like him, she has her own mission. And nothing will stand on her way to accomplish that.

    -Now, Dragon girl, let us dance with theangels!

 Chapter 31: The dance of angels

    The half-burnt forest is still standing firm despite the intense battle earlier, as are the few soldiers who haven''t flee despite dangerous risk of stray attacks. However, they cannot run, not without shame in their heart for letting such courageous man fends for himself against an adversary beyond his power.

    The two sides engage in a stare off. Gust is holding firm of his blade. On his face is a smile brimming with confidence. Even when facing against an nigh-immortal Dragon, the nomadic swordsman does not show any cowardice or anxiety. He overcomes his fear of fighting a living Dragon, solely thanks to his devotion for his comrades, a fact which makes any attempts to intimidate the man useless, and Deborah is fully aware of that.

    ''So my eyes are useless.''

    Thinks Deborah. Her red slit-dragon eyes are not there just for aesthetic purposes. When Deborah channels her dragon powers, her eyes awaken, emitting an intimidating aura to induce fear onto the enemy''s psyche. This, too, is one of the dragons'' innate natural ability, ¡¸Death Glare¡¹. This ability affects all living creatures to remind the dragons'' birthright as the true rulers of this world. Deborah frequently abused this ability of her to scare off her opponents and avoided unnecessary fights. However, today isn''t a successful day for her to play the boogeyman. After all, courage is gained through overcoming fear. Those with strong will can dominate their fear of death and resist Deborah''s glare, reducing its effect.

    The one before her, Gust of the Empyrean Mercenaries, is too determined to complete his mission to be scared of Deborah.

    If she uses more of her latent dragon powers, maybe her eyes will be strong enough to work. But Deborah has very good reasons not to.

    ''Well, no matter. It''s already too late.''

    Deborah makes up her mind. She can no longer settle this fight peacefully. Her blood-soaked hands from killing the human soldiers remind her that she is no longer worthy to preach peace and non-violence. The time for sermons is over. There is one thing left for her to do: Granting her enemy a quick death.

    The two resume their stare off. Deborah prepares her fists. She knows naught about hand to hand combat techniques. Deborah just obeys her instincts to guide her punches. On the contrary, Gust''s current sword stance is flawless, it offers no holes to exploit, a fact that someone who lack fighting skills like Deborah cannot tell just by looking. He hides his shaking hands beneath a fa?ade of cockiness, but nonetheless has complete trust in the skills he has honed up till this day.

    Without any prior warning, Gust lunges toward Deborah, leaving a huge mess of snow behind his path. He''s not running rapidly, he merely launches himself at the girl. In a span of a blink, Gust has already closed the space gap between him and his enemy. Deborah throws a punch, but she''s too slow to actually hit the swordsman when he''s at the top of his speed.

    -I''ll be taking this!

    Gust attacks. He sweeps by her left leg and cuts it down. The sudden attack leaves Deborah no way to react for the loss of her left leg. She stumbles for a bit, losing her balance from the wound. On Gust''s part, he too can''t regain his stance for another combo, since he''s still flying like a living bullet. As he flies out of Deborah''s attack range, the man strikes his sword down the ground as an emergency brake, slowing him down from hitting the nearby trees.

    -What''s the matter, Dragon? Failed to stand your ground?

    Gust taunts as he regains his stance. The pain of losing her leg isn''t comparable to the annoyance she feels from her "respected" opponent. To think such a jovial guy is the one behind the solemn facade of General Origen¡­

    Her leg is slowly regenerating. Deborah is a bit vulnerable during her regeneration period, not that Gust will let that chance slip by. Once again, he launches himself from the ground. Gust is like an arrow fired by a ballista, armed with a blade to cut through anything in his path. And that arrow once again finds its mark by piercing through Deborah''s right arm, just when she finally restored her leg back.

    -Tch.

    Losing limbs is not something new to Deborah at this point, but she can still feel pain, and pain is never a pleasant feeling to have.

    -How hurt was it on the "scale" of ten? Oh wait, should have make it five instead.

    Gust is dominating the fight, too dominating, in fact. Deborah offers little to no resistance even when she''s losing her limbs. Sure, she can endlessly grow more to replace what she lost, but in Gust''s mind, that''s not a reason to be completely passive like she currently is.

    -Well, playtime''s over.

    Says Gust. He prepares his stance again. His current aim this time is Deborah''s pretty white neck. He always find women''s neck pretty, especially when their heads are still attached. However, this time, he certainly finds Deborah even more pretty without her head on her neck. It''s not something he just suddenly thought of, though. Gust does not know the limits of Deborah''s regenerative ability, while his stamina and soul energy do has their limit. He''s aiming for a kill, but he does not know how to deliver a killing strike on a creature that can endlessly regenerate itself. The only option the nomadic swordsman can think of is decapitation and destruction of the brain.

    Like before, he continues his routine of taking stance and launching himself like an arrow. Gust quickly fills the gap between the two of them. The combined strength of his own and the momentum from launching himself pour into his curved blade coated in soul energy. Even when Deborah guards herself with her now-regenerated arms, they will still be useless before Gust''s blade.

    CLANG!

    Provide those arms are still made of flesh, that is.

    Deborah is holding the top edge of Gust''s curved blade. Her right arm right now is no longer that of a human''s. Red scales cover most of her arm, ending with five black claws on her finger. Her current arm is an arm befitting her status as a living Dragon. Even with the full force of Gust''s attack, Deborah is unfazed and firmly grabs Gust''s blade like it is just an oversized butter knife. With his sword stuck in the hand of the enemy, Gust has no other means to attack.

    -What!?

    Gust is surprised. He doesn''t think Deborah has something like this up her sleeve. He has to make a quick choice: Abandon his weapon, or try to struggle to regain it. He doesn''t have time to choose though, as Deborah certainly won''t let him. With her human left arm, Deborah throws several quick but deadly punches. One hit from those and he''s dead meat. Gust himself is a nimble fighter, dodging punches on that level is not a problem, but he''s still bitter as he''s forced to slip his weapon away just for a chance to escape death.

    -Damn Dragon!

    Gust groans. He flips back from the punches and keeps his distance from Deborah.

    -One thing nice about being immortal is you can take a trial-and-error approach to troublesome problems, like fighting to the death.

    Says Deborah.

    Deborah wasn''t just passively taking hits earlier, she was learning and analyzing Gust''s attack pattern. He always begin his attack with a stance that involves heavy use of his foot. By concentrating his soul energy to his foots as a propeller, when he releases the hold, the force generated helps launch himself to the air like an arrow fired by a ballista, gaining more momentum for his slashing attack. This helps him gain more strength to cut through Deborah''s limbs like nothing, unlike the battle prior to this.

    However, this technique has its own weakness, namely, Gust''s own unique blade. It''s a sword designed for slashing, and Gust always used slash attacks from the beginning of the fight. Unlike the straight design of the Demon Realm'' swords, his curved blade isn''t very effective at thrusting and stabbing, even more when facing someone with skin as tough as iron like Deborah. When combined with the aforementioned, it will create a devastating technique, but has a very clear weakness because of its own strength: the flying direction. He needs a clear path to land himself after the attack, which is why Gust only goes after limbs for most of the fights. He can''t directly attack her torso without risking himself for a counter-attack.

    With the information Deborah gathered, all that left is to devise a counter-strategy.

    -You can take this toothpick back.

    Deborah throws Gust''s blade back to his own side, which gets nicely caught by its master.

    -Are you sure? I won''t hold myself back anymore, dragon girl.

    Gust asks.

    -Neither will I.

    And stop holding back, she does. Deborah rushes at Gust, throwing barrages after barrages of punches. Her new red dragon arm adds more weight to the force of her right arm, slightly reducing her attacking speed. Deborah counters this by combining her attacks with her nimble human arm and some surprise kicks added to the mix. An experienced fighter like Gust has no problem dodging them all, but he also can''t find any opening for an attack when his life''s on the line. In the rare chances he gets an opening to attack, his sword slash is either not strong enough to deal serious damage or it gets blocked by Deborah''s dragon scale arm.

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    -Tch. What a pain in the ass.

    Gust falls back, takes a stance, and uses the launch attack once again. But as Deborah cracked the secrets behind his attack, predicting where he will strike is no longer a problem.

    CLANG!

    Once again, Deborah catches a hold of Gust''s blade as he aims to disable her mobility by taking her right leg. An opening reveals itself as Gust tries to regain his balance, which Deborah doesn''t let it slip by. Using solely her human bicep, Deborah throws an arm swipe at Gust''s torso, shooting him out to a nearby tree, crushing that tree from the sheer physical force alone, and only stop when he gets hit by another tree again.

    -Buah!

    Gust coughs out blood. He feels like he just got hit by a horde of bulls, and this is solely from getting hit by Deborah''s bicep alone. He wouldn''t even be in one piece if she struck him directly with her fist.

    As Gust slowly regains his feet despite his wounds, a blade flies in front of him and stabs the ground. His own blade. Once again, Deborah shows to the men even a demon like her has a shred of honor, but does it actually matter in a fight to the death with an immortal being like her? Her little show of honor is nothing more than a mockery to insult her opponent for their hopelessness when facing a powerful Dragon like her. And Deborah knows it.

    -Stand up. Fight. This is what you chose to do, wasn''t it? Or do empty words the only things that come from your mouth.

    She knows from the start he will never be able to defeat her. She knows from the start she will eventually kill him, one way or another. So easy to predict, so hard to fight against. That''s why she never fight, why she doesn''t want to fight. Fighting brings her nothing, not the satisfaction from being triumphant, only the despair from her enemies, and her own despair for letting such things happen.

    Deborah hates fighting, but this world doesn''t work that way. It works by fooling fools into believing there is glory in battle, there is honor in death, there is victory in sacrifice. Deborah has enough of it, of this world full of bloodshed, and people sugar coating it with glittering prizes like glory and honor.

    -This is your last chance. Run, and live to fight another day. Or die¡­by my hands. Your life is precious, don''t meaninglessly throw it away.

    Says Deborah. She keeps her distance and waits for a response from Gust, who''s still having trouble regaining his balance.

    -So¡­I guess you mean: As long as it''s meaningful, it''s okay to throw my precious shitty life away, right? Hehe, got it, girl. Because this punk here will back down only in death!

    Gust spits out the remaining blood in his mouth. He doesn''t immediately pick his blade up for another go, but instead, Gust holds out his arms, making some sort of seal. Light dusts start to gather around him. He''s concentrating his remaining soul energy to use a spell. His last resort. His trump card.

    ¡¸H??b my d???onin? O ?n??l? o? winb

    ???n? m? win?? ?nb l?? m? b?n?? ??? b?n?? o? ?n??l?¡¹

    Deborah knows what that spell is from hearing the chants alone. After all, she used it once, right in this forest, solely to make a foolish man understand his place in the world.

    The ¡¸Speed Enhancement¡¹ spell. A spell that boosts the user''s speed to the utmost limit, in exchange for the agony of exceeding the limit of humans. To think a nomadic swordsman like him has to use this sort of spell, that means he is truly out of other options.

    ''Is this karma?''

    Gust picks up his sword and goes back to his sword stance. He seems to have recovered a bit, but still wounded nonetheless. If he goes all out, even if he win, he will still die. Gust has accepted his death the moment he picks up his blade again. But will that stop him? It''s easier to live for another day, but as someone whose comrades depend on him, Gust choose to die the hard way, especially when there is a slim chance of victory.

    History may forget the name of simple soldiers like him, but even so, he will surely left his mark on those who bear witness to his deeds, be it his comrades, be it his enemy. This is his final dance, a man''s most beautiful moment of his existence.

    -Watch this, Dragon. The dance of angels.

    Gust disappears, leaving behind a wave of snow from his track, and a slash on Deborah''s neck. Even when she discovered pretty much everything about his technique, she can''t see Gust''s attack coming. He''s too fast, and he''s not stopping.

    From behind, from the front. From above, from below. From the right, from the left. Like a hurricane, Gust slowly tears Deborah apart. There''s not a place his blade can''t cut. Even when she knows he''s coming, her own speed is too slow to neither block nor counter the attacks. Eventually, she loses track of Gust''s neverending attack barrages, and resorts to be defensive. But that doesn''t stop him, nothing can.

    Every few seconds, Deborah finds herself having a new wound on her body. The swordsman is rapidly aiming at her neck. Slowly and surely, step by step, her wound gets bigger and bigger, eventually become centimeters apart.

    Splash!

    Deborah quickly finds herself without a head.

    Gust''s attacks worked. Rapidly slashing Deborah''s neck finally lets him accomplish what thought to be impossible. Her head gets sent flying, letting her headless body behind.

    However, before Gust can gloat about his final victory, Deborah''s now headless body suddenly makes a move. It throws an arm swipe, right in the direction of Gust as he flies by her position. The force created from the dragon arm breaks through Gust''s blade and his own body, separating his torso into two halves. Gust''s upper body falls to the ground full of snow, and his broken sword lands nearby, in the same sorry state as its master.

    As Deborah''s head starts to fall, her headless body throws its human arm out to catch it by grabbing her crimson long hair. Like a detachable doll, Deborah "re-equip" her head back to her neck. A small flame mends the separated part, and soon, Deborah returns to be herself once again. The wounds on her body also heal itself, revealing her silky white skin under her now tattered clothes. Nobody is aroused. The dragon girl is too bizarre for them to think about her that way. In the spectators'' eyes, she''s not human, she''s not even a monster.

    If there is one word that can be used to accurately describe Deborah, the most fitting word would be "abomination".

    -H¡­ow¡­?

    Asks Gust. He keeps bleeding nonstop. The nomadic swordsman is already far beyond saving.

    -I won because I try to keep my head in a fight.

    That''s not a good answer. That''s not even an accurate answer. But somehow, Deborah feels such an answer will comfort this man in his final moments by leaning on his true personality beneath the helmet.

    Surely, Deborah has no way to keep track with Gust''s amazing speed. But as she once used that spell upon her familiar, she knows both the advantage and drawbacks from abusing that spell. Speed Enhancement increases the user''s speed, but it does not increase the speed of their perception. She doesn''t think Gust can invent something to solve that drawback, unlike her familiar. Which results in several "pause" between each attacks for Gust to think of his next move. It was quick and short, but it was there, enough for Deborah to calculate the next attack. Gust''s slowly declining soul energy didn''t help. His strength wasn''t as strong as it was, it took him several attacks just to wound her. If she didn''t make a counter attack, he would eventually die from energy exhaustion anyway. No matter what happened, death is already at the doorknob, waiting for Gust to come by his side.

    -Heheh¡­never thought¡­you''re the funny type...

    Gust mutters. He puts a smile on his face, even when facing death. The ivory haired man already knew what will happen when he picked up his sword once again. He made his choice. There isn''t any regret, because this is what he willfully chose.

    When the dance ends, the dancer fades into the background. The music stops, but there is no applause, only the silence as the curtains fall down the stage.

    -Tell me¡­your name¡­

    Says the dying man. Deborah never once introduces her name directly to the swordsman, even when he already introduced his.

    -Deborah Draconis.

    Gust closes his eyes and smiles.

    -To die¡­by the hands of a¡­beautiful girl like Deborah¡­doesn''t seem so bad¡­

    Gust doesn''t wake up, never again. He takes his last breath, and dies with a smile knowing he did his very best. The fake general dies, along with the hope of the remaining soldiers in the area.

    -So, who''s next? Who''s in the mood to die today!?

    Deborah turns to the soldiers. No one answer. Silently, they fall back, without even bother to take Gust''s corpse back, at least not now. They have their reasons, since it''s not like Gust is the only one who died today, and they are a special unit that comes to this place by climbing a deep valley, they cannot easily escape the place with their comrades'' corpses by their side. Deborah may be "merciful", but the demon soldiers defending the place are not.

    Eventually, silence returns to the North-East area. Deborah has prevail over her adversaries, but she did not win.

    Today, nobody won.

 Chapter 32: The fateful meeting of light and dark

    ¡¸Melas Main Castle ¨C Nightfall¡¹

    Before my departure from the student council workshop, I give a re-check to my equipment, just to be sure.

    One fully loaded handgun. Eight fifteen-round 9mm magazines. Several syringes of drug made from Spirit Calling flowers. Four pipe bombs. Three smoke bombs that I made in my free time. One RG bomb in case I need to blow some stuff up, and several herbs and pain killers. All of them are under my shock-resistant reinforced cloak. A bit heavy in total, but I can manage somewhat. There are still several supplies that I stored in this room beforehand, like another RG bomb, but I feel these are the limit I can carry. With all of them under my disposal, I am ready for battle, physically maybe, but not mentally.

    I don¡¯t think I have what it takes to kill a human being.

    Ever since the siege started, I lent my help to the non-combatants, since I just recently recovered from my wounds back in the Familiar competition. I was tasked with creating more medicines since the supplies the infirmary simply weren¡¯t enough. That¡¯s fine by me, since I am currently unfit to wield a sword and fight, and even if I was, I think I would got myself struck down moments the fighting start.

    It may sound a bit pathetic, but I¡¯m the kind of guy who feel comfortable with shooting people behind a rock. Sure, it¡¯s still killing people, but it certainly won¡¯t make you feel dirty like personally striking people down with swords and spears. Even so, killing is still killing. It¡¯s never easy to kill someone for the first time.

    I wonder where was the strength that helped me pull the trigger to shoot Amadia that day¡­It was the first time I shoot someone. Sure, she¡¯s not exactly human, but she¡¯s still a humanoid living being. Even when my own life was also at stake back then, it took me some time hesitating before I could do the deed.

    But now, the real killing will soon start. I won¡¯t have time to hesitate. Either me, or them, and I certainly won¡¯t throw my life just for some random humans in another world.

    I take a deep breath. The ivory moon light brightens the student council room.

    ¡°When did everything go so wrong¡­?¡±

    Just a week before, I was having fun with Kardia in this workshop. We had tea, we made weapons and explosives and drugs, we chatted about what was edible in the cafeteria and what should be used as biological weapon. Back then, the worst worries we had were the upcoming final and the prospect of me dying in the familiar contest.

    But now, in just the span a day, the war at the frontier came to us knocking. I find myself having to grow from a cadet to a soldier. From someone who learn, to someone who kill. It¡¯s not an easy test to pass, and not a test where you can redo again when you fail.

    I walk toward the workshop¡¯s bookshelves. There is something inside a small glass showcase, displaying itself like a unique antique.

    It¡¯s a gun. A handgun the same type as mine, but white in color.

    A spare handgun, made by Kardia when she expressed curiosity at my original handgun. Her crafting skill is much superior than mine, it didn¡¯t take her much trouble to make a perfect replica of my gun. She said that should I find the need to use another gun, just take this one. Of course, I would like to use two guns at the same time, but I lack the skill to properly use one, let alone two at the same time.

    I just want to see it once more before I go, since it¡¯s the proof of me and Kardia¡¯s friendship.

    ¡°I hope you¡¯re still okay, Kardia.¡±

    She already departed to her home of Annwn the day before I woke up, or so I heard from some teacher. It¡¯s very lucky for her, if she stays longer, she may find herself in the same situation as mine. I just wish she¡¯s still fine. Nobody knows what will happen in a war, after all.

    ¡°Well, time to stop talking to myself.¡±

    Maybe if I hole myself up inside this place and wait, the war will be over eventually. But that¡¯s just wishful thinking, and I¡¯m not going to be a coward by hiding away when people die around me.

    ¡°Oh, forgot one more thing.¡±

    I search the inside of my stuff. Right, my most important thing.

    Mr.Cat.

    ¡°You stay here.¡±

    I put the black cat puppet glove near the showcase of Kardia¡¯s gun. This may hurt him a bit, but I have no use for Mr.Cat in the war to come. I intend to kill my enemy with bullets, not with laughter.

    ¡°Sorry.¡±

    I quickly depart from the student council room before I have any second thoughts.

    ¡­

    The castle is awfully quiet. Well, given that both sides have been fighting all day, obviously they need some time to rest and recharge before going at it again.

    How many died today? How many lived? How many of them will actually die for real the next time the fighting continue?

    Those thoughts weights my mind as I make my way trying to reach the castle¡¯s main hall. While I was busy making medicine, more and more people died. For the medicines we alchemists brew to have a chance to be used is a miracle by itself. Most couldn¡¯t even make it to the makeshift hospital in the castle¡¯s storage. Roughly more than half of those who made it succumbed to their wounds, the lucky ones remained just to wait for the day their end arrive.

    All these silence around the castle is just a prelude before the chaotic theatre of war begins once again tomorrow.

    ¡®I wonder how she¡¯s doing¡­¡¯

    We parted way not on exactly good terms. I was a bit harsh and too emotional back then. Maybe I just misunderstood her intention. But nevertheless, that does not mean I was wrong nor she was right. She¡¯s too conceited for her own good. However, when there is a war around the place, it does not matter who¡¯s wrong or right, I just hope Deborah¡¯s still okay. She¡¯s strong on the outside, but feeble on the inside. If she were to battle, I¡¯m afraid she would be her own worst enemy rather than the humans.

    Jeez, I don¡¯t have time to think about this. Most of the main army is defending the West area, I need to make contact with them by going through the castle¡¯s main hall for my next course of action.

    I make my way through the castle. After a month living in this place, I already have a basic grasp of the castle¡¯s main structure. Most of the rooms used for military purposes are located near the gate, while the less important ones like the castle¡¯s chapel, cafeteria or classrooms are placed in the upper floors. Most of them are connected through the main hall, which somehow still be able to house a huge underground tunnel for those skeleton soldiers. This is truly a castle that only exists in fantasy.

    Soon, I will reach the main army. I wonder how¡¯s they faring outside.

    Suddenly, as I keep my walking pace, the hallway¡¯s walls get smashed to pieces by an unknown rock came flying from outside. It stops its track when it rams itself to a nearby wall, destroying half of the walls in the process. It¡¯s a huge rock, roughly three meters tall. The question however is not about the rock, it¡¯s about how can a rock like that found its way inside Melas castle.

    Soon, I find out the answer as I watch things unfold outside from the hole the rock created.

    ¡°Damn the enemy¡­¡±

    A night assault. The ivory moonlight shines upon a new offensive movement made by enemy soldiers. They intend to deny us the luxury to rest. The human soldiers once again find themselves attacking our walls without paying any heed for casualties of their own. Accompanied the night assault are the attacking trebuchets, hidden in the dead forest beyond the castle. They are shooting rocks the size of small tanks, most of them hit the Melas castle instead of the its walls. The burning torches lit by both sides make the whole war under the night look like a festival, a festival of death and carnage.

    I need to hurry. I don¡¯t know what I can do when I join the fray, but surely I will be more helpful than just standing here watching people play the game of war.

    However, the surprise doesn¡¯t end with just the sudden assault.

    As I try to make a quick run back to the main army, something stops me. My gaze is fixed upon the stone earlier.

    It¡¯s moving. Suddenly, the rock cracks itself. From the inside, some kind of goo flows out, soaking the floor underneath. And then, after that¡­

    I see a human arm reaching outside of the stone. And not just one, there are several, and each set belongs to a person inside the stone. Four of them, soldiers wearing armor. Their face are concealed by their helmets, but unlike the demon soldiers who wear demonic-styled armors, theirs are remotely normal, like something you can see in every medieval museum that features armors.

    They are humans, real humans like me. And they are looking at me like I¡¯m their enemy.

    -Get him!

    A human soldier shouts out loud.

    Shit! Even though I am a normal human who actually look the part, they don¡¯t hesitate the moment they catch sight of me. Maybe it¡¯s foolish for me to stand here and watch them emerge from their stone, but it¡¯s already too late to cry over spilled milk. They are still soaked in that sticky goo, it may hinder them for a bit, but maybe that will be enough to buy me some time.

    So, I run as fast as I can. It takes them a several seconds later to regain their balance, but by that point, I already get myself some distance from them.

    They are pursuing behind me. Slowly, but surely, they gain speed as the sticky goo comes off as they run. But nevertheless, I will soon lose them as the distance difference is already far enough.

    I need to alert the main army about this. However, something still bugs me about the soldiers earlier.

    He certainly said ¡°Get him!¡±...

    Their language is different, that I can be sure, but I certainly can understand what he¡¯s saying, even though the Demon¡¯s language is the only thing I use all these time at Melas. It¡¯s absolutely not a language from my world or even from my country, that¡¯s for sure. But that doesn¡¯t explain why I can understand them. If I can understand it, can I speak the human tongue just like how I communicate with the demons using their own language?

    However, that¡¯s a question better left for some other time. The toll of running with my full equipment is draining my stamina, but soon, the main hall will be in sight. If I can make contact with the main army in time, I¡¯ll be saved from the pursuing soldiers.

    But that¡¯s just wishful thinking. Waiting in front of my path is a group of four human soldiers. The worse thing is they are not the same group as my pursuers, their bodies are no longer trapped by those sticky goo from inside the nearby stone they emerged from. By the time they are aware of my existence, both groups quickly form a deadlock, preventing my escape.

    A soldier wastes no time and draws his sword. He lunges at me and uses a downward slash. He intends to take my legs to immobilize me, probably just so they can torture me for information afterward.

    Well, I will have none of that!

    ¡°Tch!¡±

    I roll to the side, dodging the slash attack. My reflex has gotten better ever since the battle with the crab that day, but that doesn¡¯t mean I can afford to be careless. I need to give myself some advantage here. As I roll away, I draw the gun from inside my cloak and make a blind shot. Of course, the accuracy of a gun hitting something when rolling is next to zero, but I think it may work well as a deterrent.

    -Stop, or I¡¯ll shoot!

    I yell as I stand up from rolling. I point my gun at the soldier who just attacked me. He doesn¡¯t continue his attack, probably because the noise from my gun surprised him. Or maybe, because of something else¡­

    -You¡­speak our language?

    Says the soldier. I can understand him, and that is something I just can¡¯t understand.

    -You also look like a human.

    The soldier lowers his sword. The hostility emitted from him is gone. Maybe I can have a shot at walking out of this alive without killing. To engage in violence is the last thing I should do here. Even if I have enough bullets, it won¡¯t be easy when I¡¯m surrounded. Beside, I think I still lack the desire needed to actually kill a human being like I am.

    -I don¡¯t want to k--!

    However, I am na?ve, too na?ve. As I try to propose a reasonable way to end this, a soldier suddenly sneaks to my back and strikes down my neck with his hand and renders me unconscious.

    ¡­

    When I wake up, I find my hands being tied by a rope and my mouth shut tight by a piece of cloth. I always find it weird how people can always find rope and cloth in situations like these. My cloak is no longer in my possession, and my equipment is being examined by some curious soldiers. We are still in the hallway, but this is an unfamiliar place to me, somewhere I¡¯ve never been before. They probably moved me to a place quiet enough to do some interrogation.

    The soldiers become aware of my awakening. There are a total four of them, as opposed to the earlier eight. They must had splitted their group for some reason. While their armors have some distinct designs differ from the others, from the outset of someone unfamiliar with armors, all of them surely look the same. As I learned from the history books, they are probably human soldiers of Metallum, the Kingdom of Metal.

    Most of them are standing guard, leaving only two behind to do the interrogation. One of them takes off the cloth covering my mouth, while the other points his sword toward my mouth before I can say anything.

    -Scream, and it will be the last time you use your tongue.

    Says the soldier with the sword in hand, he is quickly dismissed from using violence by his comrade.

    -Come now, there¡¯s no need for that thing. We can get information from him without resorting to torture.

    The other soldier replies. He¡¯s carrying no visible weapon on his body.

    -Torture is efficient!

    -It¡¯s inhumane! It would make us no different than the demons.

    The two argue. Of course, I understand them completely without any difficulties.

    -Beside. I don¡¯t think the General will approve such action. If we can¡¯t get anything from him then just kill him quick. Don¡¯t let him suffer.

    -Hmm. Do it your way, then. But leave the killing to me.

    Ah, I get it. It¡¯s the oldest routine in the book, the good cop bad cop routine. One acts mean, the other acts nice to lure the suspect into confessing. How well will they put this to good use, I wonder? But of course, I can¡¯t afford to play the silent game here. If I can¡¯t prove my usefulness alive, the bad cop soldier may find me more useful in death.

    -Hey, do you understand what I¡¯m saying?

    Says the good cop soldier.

    -He¡¯s asking you, dipshit.

    The bad cop soldier points his sword toward my throat.

    -Of course I understand. I¡¯m neither deaf nor mute!

    I answer.

    -Good. I want to ask you some questions, and I¡¯d like some honest answers. My fellow here, you see, isn¡¯t very patient with liars.

    The good cop guy leers at the other one, which annoys the guy to no end.

    -Okay, I can try.

    I agree. It¡¯s not like I have any other choice.

    -Are you human?

    That¡¯s a rather simple question. It reminds me of the first day I came to this world. But unlike back then, I can¡¯t gain anything from lying to hide my true nature.

    -Yes, I am a human.

    I answer. The human¡¯s native language keeps flowing from my mouth like it is my mother tongue, despite my lack of knowledge about of them.

    -Really? What a surprise. I am a human too, and so are they.

    Are they taking me for a fool?

    -Well, it¡¯s rather imposing if I keep wearing this¡­

    The good cop soldier suddenly takes off his iron helmet. Under the moon light, all I can see is a young human man, roughly my age. He has brownish black hair and a pair of brown eyes. He¡¯s rather handsome and looks nice, would be a lady killer if he isn¡¯t stuck fighting a war. This is the first time I meet someone who qualified as ¡°Human¡± in this sort of world.

    -Next question, where are you from? Judging from your looks, I¡¯ll say you are from Metallum yourself.

    -I¡¯m not from that place, actually. I¡¯m also not from the Demon Realm either, in case you¡¯re wondering.

    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    I answer, with my reply being met with hostility from the bad cop soldier.

    -So? Where are you from? Don¡¯t tell me you fell from the sky, hit your head to the ground and forgot about it?

    The bad cop soldier almost hit the truth, almost.

    -Well, I¡¯m certainly not from the places you guys know, that¡¯s for sure.

    I can¡¯t outright tell them I¡¯m from a world that treats their world like some sort of fantasy, though the same applies to my world from their perspective. I can¡¯t outright lie, but at least I can give them half of the truth.

    -Don¡¯t dodge the question, you piece of¡­!

    -It¡¯s alright. We need more pressing matter to ask about.

    The good cop soldier intervenes before the other can get violent.

    -Why are you in this castle if you¡¯re a human? Why haven¡¯t the demons killed you yet and let you roam freely in their castle?

    Now that¡¯s a good question.

    -I disguised myself as an cadet to live and study alongside them. Sure, they have their own suspicions about me, but¡­I have some help to protect me from harm.

    I hate to admit it, but Deborah¡¯s fearsome reputation helped shield me from the other demons. I guess that¡¯s the reason why nobody dared to pick on Iola for her human look either, despite the girl never don the proper uniform of a witch.

    -Is this a fairy tale? Do you expect us to believe your words as truth?

    Says the bad cop soldier.

    -Well, I didn¡¯t lie, if that¡¯s what you want.

    I answer. Even with his helmet hiding his face, I can feel a bit of anger from the guy with the sword pointing at my neck.

    -This is meaningless. We can¡¯t trust him. Let¡¯s put an end to this.

    -Nobody trusted me either when some soldiers found me captured in a demon camp as well.

    The young man¡¯s reply completely halts the other soldier¡¯s desire to end this quick. The young man smiles. His smile is sad and lifeless.

    -Well, they had every rights to distrust of me. Son of a smuggler, found captured alone inside the enemy¡¯s camp. Most people thought I was some kind of spy, left there for a chance to infiltrate the human army. Normally, all the human captives were instantly killed, they said. The thought that they captured me just to kill me later in an execution never crossed their mind.

    I start to remember about the execution site yesterday¡­

    -War gives men a reason to hate. Hatred overcomes reason and leads to distrust. No one believed me, except General Origen. In a world blinded by hatred, Origen trusted me, solely because I told him the truth without lies. Thanks to him, I¡¯m here, fighting his war to help him save mankind.

    The young man suddenly looks straight at me in the eyes.

    -I won¡¯t say your story is the completely truth, but I feel like you didn¡¯t lie either. You may have your reason to be vague, but I¡¯ll still trust you¡­for the time being.

    -Hey, what do you think you¡¯re doing?

    The young soldier stands up, he takes out a piece of paper hidden under his armor. The moon gives me enough light to read what was written on it. Though rather a letter or some sort of notes, it¡¯s actually¡­

    -A map of Melas¡­

    -Correct.

    The young soldier confirms my reply. Why is such a thing in the possession of the enemy?

    -We need to go to this place they called the Magic Art Department. Sure, we have a map so we will get there eventually, but it¡¯s too risky when relying on just a simple map. However, since you have been here for quite sometimes, having someone to guide us will probably work best. We certainly don¡¯t want to encounter the demon scouts in this place.

    Now I understand why they captured me alive. They want someone to help evade the guards, if there are any. I guess that¡¯s why they pursued me at the first glance, since if I blabbered to other demons, their plan would have been foiled. And that¡¯s also why they spared me, despite initially being in the demon army, since I¡¯m a human like them, they thought they can make me sympathize for their plight just enough to work for them.

    But, can I do it? Actually betray the other demons that I helped, just to save my skin?

    -Do you really expect me to give a quick answer after all these?

    -No. That¡¯s why he¡¯s here to quicken the process.

    The bad cop soldier pulls his sword right by my neck. I can feel the cold steel touching my naked skin. It¡¯s barely enough to wound me, but still effective at scaring me shitless. Are they expecting me to make a rational choice with a blade by my neck? No, of course not, they never expect me to choose the choice that is right, they want me to choose what is the most favorable to them.

    -You have two choices. If you remain loyal to the demons, we have no other choice but to kill you. At least, my friend here will give you a quick death, that I can promise. The other alternative is to help us. You will have to betray the ones who helped you up until now, but at the very least, you can start a new life with us, fighting alongside your fellow humans. When the war ends, I promise we will help you find a future at our homeland Metallum. But until then, we humans must fight, until the demons are defeated, and peace comes once again.

    ¡­I can¡¯t choose.

    I know what I should do to continue to live, but to me, it isn¡¯t right. The people here helped me even when they shouldn¡¯t and have every reasons not to. Sure, they are few in number, but they still exist. Kardia, Iola, teacher Bjarni, Caelan¡­even Deborah herself. And I have to betray them if I want to live.

    But, the demons do have their dark sides. The sight of the execution yesterday still embarks well within my memories. Despite the warmth the ones I know gave me, I¡¯m still inside the lands of demons. What I know is limited inside the cold Melas castle. This is an unknown world to me, and that atrocity maybe just the beginning.

    Yet, I can¡¯t simply base solely on that to betray them and join the humans. Even when my life is on the line, I simply just can¡¯t join the people who force me to betray those I know with a sword by my neck. Even when their cause is just, simply forcing people to do their biddings isn¡¯t justice. Yet, I want to live. There is so many things I want to see in this world, joining them will allow me to do that, to see what outside of this castle. But that will certainly fill me with regret till the day I die.

    I can¡¯t choose. I just don¡¯t know what to do¡­

    -Quick, we don¡¯t have time.

    The soldier with the blade urges me.

    -I know it¡¯s hard for you, but we will try our best to help you when you become our comrade. The life at Metallum isn¡¯t exactly ideal, but it¡¯s an okay place to live. People are kind. Food and water are plentiful. It¡¯s a place worth protecting, at least for us. It will pain me to see a fellow human dies by another human¡¯s blade. Please¡­choose wisely. I await your answer.

    The young soldier crouches down. He looks at me in the eyes, expecting a favorable response, pressuring me to do what he thinks is the right thing.

    -I¡­

    There is¡­no other choice. I want to live.

    -Urgh!

    Suddenly, the young soldier bursts out blood from his mouth. In his neck, there lies a spear piercing through. He struggles to speak something but fail since the spear damaged his vocal cord. He spits out a chunk of blood, some get in my face and shirt. He falls down to the ground, all that left is a lifeless body. The young man who believed in me died, and I¡¯m too scared to even scream.

    -Yohan!

    The soldier holding the sword quickly rushes to the side of his friend. The other two standing guard however continue to look for the assailant. Despite the vast hallway, the two soldiers cannot locate the mysterious attacker. There is no one in visible sight, and the moonlight is starting to dim away.

    The dark clouds gather on the sky outside the windows, pushing the scarce moonlight away. And then, all of us hear a sound.

    Clank

    The sound of metal dragging on the stone ground.

    Clank

    Something is coming. Someone is coming.

    Clank

    Are they my ally, or are they my enemy? Either way, I¡¯m scared. The night falling on the hallway is grabbing my heart, crushing it every time the sound of their footsteps appear in my ears. Someone, please make them stop that noise.

    Clank

    The moonlight reappears after the wind carries the clouds away. At the other end of the hallway, there stands a lone soldier clad in armor. His visor is designed in a way similar to a skeleton¡¯s mouth. His steel armor is soaked in blood, but judging from his movement, he¡¯s probably unwounded. His right arm is covered in bandage. He has a javelin holder pack behind his back, which is currently carrying a single javelin. There is however another spear on his left arm, a bit of blood remains of the spear¡¯s tip. His sword is still in its sheath, but he already have the spear as his primary weapon.

    A demon soldier. He is someone I know, as this was the same guy who helped me and Iola when we got surrounded by some other demon soldiers. His name, if I remember right, is Lapidoth. I know he¡¯s not exactly a jovial guy from our first meeting, but the current Lapidoth is rather fearsome. Even with his armor blocking his face, I can feel an intense desire to kill beneath his helmet.

    This man is out for blood.

    -How dare you kill Yohan!

    The two soldiers rush at Lapidoth, their swords readied in hand. It¡¯s a two against one fight, but Lapidoth keeps his slow approach, like a hunter awaiting the wolf to come to his aim. And when the wolf is in range of gunfire, the hunter pulls the trigger, unloading the bullet onto the wolf.

    Swiftly, Lapidoth throws his spear with all his strength. The spear flies with the force of a bullet toward the nearest soldier on his right side. But unexpectedly, the human soldier manages to deflect the spear. He swings his sword, stopping the spear midair and deflects it elsewhere.

    However, that does him no good, as Lapidoth instantly uses his remaining javelin and throws it toward the same soldier. He fails to react in time, especially after using up most of his strength to save his skin from the earlier spear. The new javelin pierces through the human¡¯s neck, in the same manner as the one they called Yohan.

    -Demon bastard!

    The other soldier¡¯s death gives the remaining one a chance to close the gap between them. The soldier swings his blade, aiming at the demon soldier¡¯s waist to cut him in half. But in just a flash, Lapidoth rushes forward with his sword already unsheathed, and the soldier finds himself being the one who has his body cut down to half instead. It¡¯s too fast, and happens in the span of a blink. Before I know it, the soldier¡¯s upper body drops down, leaving his lower half to bleed out and quickly follows suit.

    His martial skills are inhuman, something that does not belong to this world.

    -Curse you¡­

    The only soldier alive ¨C the one who threatened me earlier with his sword ¨C finds himself conflicted between running away or stand his ground and fight. The way he firmly holds his sword indicates that he wants to fight, but he does nothing else to prove his courage. His opponent isn¡¯t someone he can beat with his current abilities, and he knows it just by watching the earlier fight. No, calling it a fight isn¡¯t accurate. It¡¯s a slaughter.

    -I need¡­to finish the mission¡­

    The soldier mumbles. And then, he turns his gaze to me.

    -If only you didn¡¯t show up¡­

    -Wait, stop¡­

    Suddenly, he rushes at me with his blade, aiming to finish my life!

    -Stop!

    I shout. Of course, that doesn¡¯t stop his track. A blade in the head however does the deed. It is Lapidoth¡¯s sword, thrown by him as he approaches me. I don¡¯t know why how can he be so calm throwing away his weapons like that, but seeing his prowess earlier makes me think he has his right to be confident of his skills.

    I give a glance at the soldier earlier. A blade right in the head instantly killed him and spared him from pain. But I can¡¯t help but feel bad for him, Yohan, and the other two soldiers, especially after listening to what Yohan said earlier.

    Why did things need to go this way?

    Lapidoth is now standing before me, without bothering to pick up his blade. It¡¯s hard to believe the same person who saved me and Iola from trouble yesterday is also the cause behind this gruesome mess. Before me, there is no savior, only a merciless killer that I call ¡°ally¡±.

    Lapidoth takes out a knife attached on his belt. A small knife, big enough to cut off a man¡¯s hand, small enough to give someone a new hole to breath. Despite being my ally on paper, I wonder what he have in store for me when he takes out that knife. But nope, he just uses it to cut the rope binding me all these time. It is nice of him¡­

    ¡°Ack!¡±

    ¡­if he doesn¡¯t immediately lift me off the ground afterward and strangles me with his left arm alone.

    ¡°What are¡­you¡­doing?¡±

    I can barely speak with a hand strangling my neck. My two arms are focusing on stopping his from choking me to death, which certainly isn¡¯t working as the lack of air makes me lose my strength.

    ¡°What¡­do you¡­even¡­want?¡±

    I speak in the demon¡¯s tongue, and I don¡¯t remember him being secretly deaf, yet why doesn¡¯t he response? If not through words, then he can at least do it through action.

    ¡°You bastard¡­¡±

    Lapidoth suddenly mumbles.

    ¡°To whom does your allegiance lie, bastard!? To whom!?¡±

    Lapidoth shouts. His hand grip gets stronger, giving me even more pain. I¡¯m nearly passing out, and can¡¯t even give the response he wants without having the urge to throw up, if the mess in my stomach can even get through my neck to the outside, that is.

    ¡°ANSWER ME, BASTARD!¡±

    He shouts with all the force of his lung. I can¡¯t take it anymore¡­

    ¡°To¡­the¡­demons¡­¡±

    With the little strength I have left, I give the guy the answer he wants. I don¡¯t even know what he actually want to hear, but at this point, I don¡¯t have the luxury to think clearly about it.

    And then, he drops me to the ground. I get too busy coughing the hell out of myself to even figure out what is his deal. I almost die back there, yet the guy in armor doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s even a problem should I died.

    This isn¡¯t the same Lapidoth I met that day, the one who troubled himself just to save two foolish teenagers. No, maybe I am the one who get it wrong. This is his true self, a murderous and cold-hearted bastard who can kill without batting an eye. Someone to be expected as a demon soldier.

    ¡°If I see you blabber with other humans again, it will be your last.¡±

    Says Lapidoth. His answer doesn¡¯t give me anything about the reason why he asked such question. Though I¡¯m glad his helmet is there to hide his face of disgust. I¡¯m just sad that I don¡¯t have mine as well just to do the same to him, to show him how disgusted I am by his presence alone. But if I act up now, he will kill me for good.

    ¡°Grab your shit. We need to rendezvous with the other demon soldiers.¡±

    The man in armor gives his order. Luckily, my equipment are still intact on the ground along with my cloak. I have no trouble regaining my fighting state prior to this charade. But even then, it makes me even more conflicted on the subject of killing.

    Behind every of these helmeted soldiers, there is a story for each of them, just like the one named Yohan. They have dreams and hopes, and for people like me to survive, it¡¯s our jobs to destroy those very same dreams and hopes just to live for another day.

    It¡¯s cruel, this world is cruel. A sad world. A cruel world. It¡¯s something that I expected when I chose to stay in this place, but nonetheless it still managed to surprise me despite my mental preparations.

    This isn¡¯t a video game where everything is free gold and exp. This isn¡¯t a manga where life is just a mere drawing confined to panels. This is a fantasy world where killing is the norm, and it¡¯s the good men, not the evil and wicked, who have to do the deed. I am living in such a world.

    And it¡¯s already too late for me to leave this world, the world of Airumel.

 Chapter 33: The arrival of the Black Light

    Despite what happened earlier, the moon is still floating high in the middle of the empty sky. Tonight is going to be a long night, for men and demon alike.

    I follow the soldier named Lapidoth after taking back my equipment. He himself also takes new weapons to arm himself, namely those belonged to the dead human soldiers. With the swords and javelins he carries, the man is like a walking armory. The stench of blood constantly emits from him, not only because of the weapons he used to kill the soldiers earlier, but also from his armor, which got soaked during the fight.

    No, that was hardly a fight, it was a massacre.

    Beside his name, I know nothing about Lapidoth. Why did he show up back then? And how? Maybe he just wandered there after killing another group of human soldiers, finding new preys to kill for his amusement?

    Even if I ask, I doubt he will answer me. It will get me more troubles if I do ask.

    "Stop daydreaming, we have company."

    The man suddenly stops his track as we take cover at a dark corner. I stand behind him, searching for the signs of possible enemies ahead. There are several sound of footsteps on the other side of the hallway. The sound of greaves stomping on the stone tiles. Armored men, roughly three or four men. Consider what happened earlier, they might be a group of hostile humans.

    The footsteps are getting closer. Lapidoth puts his hand on the sword hanging by his waist. I also take out my handgun, preparing for another encounter.

    Shiiing

    Lapidoth draws his sword with the speed of an Iaido master, and probably even more impressive considering he is doing that with a Western-style straight sword. Whatever gets cut by such speed will be dead by now. However, Lapidoth holds back. Blood doesn''t spill, since only the living can make a conversation, not a corpse.

    "What do you think you''re doing?"

    His sword is hanging by the neck of an armored soldier. He is however not the enemy. The man is wearing a goat-themed armor, with a demonic goat head helmet. He speaks the demon''s language. Accompanying him are three soldiers wearing the same type of armor. My allies, in a sense. They have their swords in hand, but none dare to do anything funny, not when someone already drew his faster.

    "Thought you were the enemy."

    Says Lapidoth as he sheathes his sword. To stop his attack midway like that, the guy is a real master with a blade. I doubt I can be as good as him if I ever need to use a sword, but I am not a swordsman, and I have my own tricks to compensate for that.

    "If you are not a demon soldier I will gladly off your head!"

    The man with the goat helmet takes off his headpiece. A bearded man with an attitude. He''s the same guy who tried to harass me and Iola yesterday. How ironic for most of the parties involved back then to meet up once again in the middle of a war.

    "You are free to try."

    Lapidoth nonchalantly replies. The bearded demon soldier is visibly angry, but he holds back because screaming in anger is certainly unwise at a time like this.

    "What are you even doing in this castle anyway? And why is that¡­thing¡­here with you?"

    I presume the thing he said is me. Of course, I never told them I am a human despite being identical appearance-wise to one. I guess that''s the nicest word he could use to describe me.

    "Oh, nothing special. I just caught sight of a mouse whispering words to the cats."

    And by that, I think he''s implying the event earlier. Lucky for me, they don''t seem to get what he''s implying, or just simply too infuriated by Lapidoth''s manner of speaking to care. If they know I''m a human, I wonder what sort of things they will do to me¡­

    "Stop being vague and dodge the question! Why did you ditch the defense and run off to the main castle? Depends on your answer, we are authorized to use force and pass immediate sentence of treason and desertion for your action!"

    The bearded demon soldier and his comrades draws their swords and point them at Lapidoth. They are serious with their intention to make the guy submit. I just hope I won''t get roped into his mess solely because I am accompanying him. The man in question however still stays silent. His head holds high, his gaze fixed upon the ceiling above. Before anyone can make any movement, a loud sound of rock crushing the walls comes from the upper floors. While the hallway we''re standing in is intact, we can still feel the rumbling shock above. The crash site is probably not far from here.

    "I''m here for the same reason as you."

    Lapidoth answers. Without any warning, the guy resumes his trek, leaving the other soldiers to tail behind in search of an explanation. Seeing that I won''t do anything good by merely standing in one place, my only option is to follow suit.

    "Since you are here, I guess the upper echelon must have noticed something is amiss. There''s no way they would bother sending four soldiers solely to bring me to justice, of course. That would be four less bodies to throw at the humans."

    "Even if you know about it, you can''t just leave your fellow demons to run away when they''re fighting!"

    The bearded demon yells.

    "By the time an official order is given, I''m afraid it might be too late."

    I think Lapidoth has his reason, but he''s probably too confident for his own good. Can he actually know there are human infiltrators inside the castle? Did he actually think he can take on all of them alone? I wish I have that confidence of his, maybe then I will stop struggling from pulling the trigger if an enemy shows up, or actually decide on whose side should I be.

    With Lapidoth''s lead, we climbs the stairs to the upper castle floor. This is the general classroom quarter, the place where I used to study back when this place still had some resemblance of peace. My classroom is just by the corner, but I can''t freely go back to that place now, there might be enemies nearby.

    "Your armor stinks. A Warg can sniff you out even at this location."

    A demon soldier whispers when his nose gets offended by Lapidoth''s lovely blood-soaked outfit. Of course, we''re technically in enemy territory right now, can''t have an out loud conversation for all to hear.

    "Good thing a Warg can''t fit in that rock."

    Lapidoth points his finger at a crushed classroom in front of us. We slowly approach the place. In the middle of what used to be a classroom lies a big rock torn to four parts, the same kind used to transport the soldiers I met earlier. There is that same goo flowing from inside the rock. No doubt about it, there are some soldiers in this floor. The question is where are they?

    "Ignisian alchemists and their wacky inventions. Never fail to amuse people with their tricks."

    Says Lapidoth. So this is a creation made by alchemy. A trebuchet-propelled human carrier, I think. The goo is probably used to nullify the physical toll inflicted on the people inside. If it wasn''t there, the people that got carried along would be a bloody mess by the time the ride ended. A clever way to help soldiers infiltrate a place, but not exactly a very practical one. People will surely notice when a rock crashes their castle. The only way for this thing to be effective is to use them in a chaotic siege battle, like this one.

    But enough of that, there is a more pressing matter.

    "They''re not here."

    I speak for the first time ever since the soldiers appeared. Don''t want them to think of me as a mute, of course.

    "Who?"

    Another demon soldier replies.

    "The human soldiers. They came here using this rock, but they''re not here."

    I answer. By the time we arrive, we should be able to catch a glimpse of them. Unless¡­

    "This isn''t the same rock we heard earlier."

    Says Lapidoth. He seems to have noticed. The man walks out of the room, with all of us silently follow suit. Our little walk isn''t long, it ends only minutes later when Lapidoth gives us his silence hand signal. And then, there come voices. Not from us, but from the enemy. I carefully lean myself forward from our hiding place by the classroom''s walls, just to get a shot at satisfying my curiosity.

    In a faraway corner, there is a group of four human soldiers, kneeling in front of another group that just recentely emerged from a newly arrived rock. Though rather than a group, they are kneeling in respect of another individual. A tall, bulky man in iron armor. He''s roughly two meters tall, a giant in a sense. But that''s not the most noticeable aspect of this man.

    Under the shining moonlight, I see the dark skin covering his body. A black man. His head is bald and covered with exotic tattoos in place where his hair should be. He has a small black goatee on his chin. He has eyes that are as brown as the earth. On his right hand is an iron mace as long as a sword, and on his left is a big golden round shield so masterly forged that it looks out of place with this man''s homely and ordinary armor set. But that little contradiction doesn''t detract him from his charisma. He has the smile of a gentle father, finally meeting his children after a long way back home. A smile capable of warming the heart of men dwelling in this cold land.

    This man isn''t your mere everyday soldier.

    "So the man himself finally showed up."

    Lapidoth whispers.

    "General Origen, the Black Paladin. Banisher of Demons. Defender of Man. Or so they called him."

    Lapidoth seems amused, a feeling that isn''t shared by the other demon soldiers. They drag him back to somewhere safer. Can''t have a battle plan discussion right in front the enemy''s ears, of course.

    "We should fall back to the main army and regroup!"

    Says the bearded demon soldier, who already has his helmet on his head by the time we discover the one they called Origen, preparing for battle at a moment''s notice. His advice is sound and logical, but I wonder what will Lapidoth has to say about this.

    "We can''t afford to waste time. We shall deal with them right at this place."

    Of course, the absolute mad man intents to do this with only five soldiers and a familiar like me.

    "He''s the goddamn Origen! Have you lost your mind!?"

    The bearded soldier somehow manages to stop himself from yelling out loud and alert the humans.

    "By the time we get reinforcement, it may already be too late, that is to say if the guys outside even have reinforcement to spare. Time isn''t on our side. We need to stop him right at this moment."

    "Easier said than done."

    Another soldier replies. While Lapidoth''s reasoning is logical, it''s not like the other soldier is wrong. This madman is asking us to do the impossible: Taking down the dreaded human General and seven of his men with only six guys like us. It''s not like I don''t have my fair share of doing unreasonable things, but that''s just it. Unreasonable is different than impossible. I can do unreasonable things if needed of me, but I can''t make possible things that are impossible. The battles I choose to fight are battles I have a good chance at winning, but this battle...the success chance we have right now is only a bit higher than zero...

    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    "Of course, because we haven''t done it yet. You can''t win a battle you never start to fight."

    What else do I expect from this madman?

    "I have a plan."

    Says Lapidoth.

    "And what is that plan?"

    Asks a soldier.

    "Taking down Origen himself is impossible, that I know. That''s why we only need to focus on taking out his men."

    An army isn''t made by the generals, they are made up from the soldiers instead. I think that''s what he''s implying. It''s not actually impossible in theory, but there is one huge problem.

    "Of course, Origen won''t stand idly and let his followers die in front of his eyes. Someone has to be the bait and stall him for time. I will take the job, since I proposed the plan."

    "Wait, you''re making it look like we accepted this plan of yours."

    The bearded demon replies. Of course, he''s absolutely right.

    "Then be my guest, think of something better than running back at the main army and bring in friends you don''t have. If you can''t, then do it my way. We don''t have the luxury to waste time."

    Regarding my earlier encounter with the humans, the map they showed me indicated that their objective lies in the Magic Art Department, which is the building next to this place. It will only take them roughly five minutes to arrive at that place if they move uncontested. By the time we have reinforcement at our back, it might be already too late to act.

    "Do you think you can prevail over that black guy?"

    I ask my question, which somehows put Lapidoth into silence. If I need to kill in order to help, then so be it, but at the very least my ally should be able to complete their task, since my life depends on it. Lapidoth may be a prick, but his skills are undeniable. However, Origen''s combat prowess is also a mystery to me. Just because Lapidoth is strong doesn''t mean he can defeat Origen. Not that we need him to defeat Origen, but it will be anticlimatic if Lapidoth dies within the first attack.

    "Well¡­I actually fought Origen once."

    Lapidoth doesn''t continue his punchline, but his tone alone is enough for us to understand the rest. He''s still here, Origen''s still here, so basically Lapidoth managed not to get himself killed, but also failed to kill General Origen before.

    "That''s better than any of us."

    Says another soldier with his sword already drawn. He seems eager for battle, a sentiment I do not share.

    "Hmm, do it your way then, asshole."

    The bearded man seems to have accepted the urgency of this situation. He yields with his words, but not with his sword. The rest of us also accept Lapidoth''s proposal. Seems like we''re going to do this after all. I''m not exactly ready, but this time I won''t hesitate, not anymore when there are things need to be done. I want to protect this castle, and the memories I made inside this place.

    "Well then, try and listen well. My plan is simple, but don''t you dare forget your part."

    ---------------------------------

    The paladin gathers his subordinates and moves on to their objective. Greeting them on their path is an empty hallway, some part hidden by the shadow under the dark night, some revealed by the moonlight hanging above the world. But there is no sign of the enemy, not yet. ''Melas castle is not a very lively place'', the black paladin thinks. But of course, such emptiness is a blessing considering they are the infiltrators here. It will be a problem if they are greeted by a band of merry man armed to the teeth. This lifeless atmosphere is a good sign, somewhat.

    -According to the map we received. The Magic Art Department is in the building next to ours. It will take roughly five minutes to get there if we''re hurry with our feet, general.

    A soldier explains. He''s holding a map of Melas castle, a detailed map of this place''s interior. Despite his explanation, the black paladin doesn''t make any replies, which prompts the soldier to ask.

    -What''s the matter, General Origen?

    -Shh. Close your mouth and listen with your ears.

    The black man whispers. His answer is met with the confusion of his men, but they obey nonetheless. For several seconds, the human soldiers just stand there, using their ear to search for any sound that may appear. Aside from the tiny bit of noises from the battle outside, there is only silence among the hallways in front and behind them.

    -We can''t hear anything, General. There''s only silence here.

    -Indeed it is. That''s the problem.

    Origen replies, which confuses his men even more.

    -I''ve sent eight men to infiltrate this castle ahead of us to secure the pathway. Even if they failed, I already told them to stay alive and regroup with us. But here we are, greeted by the cold night and the eerie silence.

    The black paladin sighs.

    -I''m pretty sure the last thing they would do is to let the silence take their job.

    The other soldiers seem to have noticed their general''s intention.

    -If so, then¡­

    -Something is wrong.

    Says Origen.

    At this very moment, a sound breaks the eerie silence haunting the hallway. A clanking sound, a sound of metal dragging on the stone tiles.

    CLANK

    Something is coming. Someone is coming. And whatever that is, it is not an ally of Origen. If the men he sent were here, they would greet him with smiles and laughter, maybe with a bit of beer they smuggled along on the road, but certainly not with swords and spears dragging on the ground as warning.

    -Men, be on guard.

    The human soldiers reply by drawing their weapons. They stand ready, and so is Origen. He has his big golden shield up, and holds firm his mace in his other hand.

    The moonlight shifts to the other side of the hallway, revealing a man in armor underneath the darkness. The design of his armor isn''t something made in the kingdom of metal. Its visor resembles the mouth of a skull. The darkness makes it rather hard to see the one behind the helmet, but Origen doubt he can see it even if it''s in broad daylight. However, the most noticeable thing Origen see isn''t the demon''s armor, but the liquid soaked on it.

    -You stink of blood. Human blood. You will look lovely as vampire''s food.

    Origen''s expression stiffens, despite the gentle smile on his lips. The demon''s appearance and the human-made weapons he carries are enough to tell Origen the full story.

    -Though I don''t know if they like minced meat.

    Slowly, Origen walks forward with his weapon ready. The blood-soaked man stops his track. He''s holding two spears in his hands. Their tips also stained with human blood. He''s waiting for something, an opening, perhaps? But it''s not like Origen has the luxury to wait. Soon, he puts more strength to his legs and runs toward the human slayer. He swings his mace sideway at his enemy, but the demon soldier dodges it with a backflip jump. As he falls in midair, the demon soldier throws his two spears at Origen. With a big shield in his hand, the paladin has no problem blocking the spears. In this situation, the paladin has more advantage. A chance has already shown itself to him, a small window when his enemy regains the balance after the jump. A chance the paladin won''t let slip by.

    -Your retribution awaits!

    The holy man''s righteous fury is given physical form by the shape of a white flame on his mace''s end. Origen channels the power of light by swinging it down the floor, erupting a line of white flame toward the demon soldier. Unexpectedly, the demon soldier manages to escape his death by dodging. Using just one of his finger, the soldier somehow gains enough momentum to shoot himself out of harm''s way. The line of flame keeps going until it is extinguished, it fails to accomplish the mission given by the man of god.

    -You are no ordinary demon.

    The paladin understands everything solely from looking the place the demon''s finger made contact earlier. There''s a small hole on the stone tile, with the size of a small finger. The demon soldier somehow generated enough force to push himself out of the ground solely with his finger. A soul energy technique, thinks Origen. He doesn''t know what kind of technique is that, but because of it, Origen knows this demon isn''t one to be underestimated.

    -Not a fan of human words, I see.

    The demon keeps his silence. He may not know the language humans talk, or maybe he just doesn''t care. But there is another type of language which both of them know to communicate with each other. The language of violence.

    The demon soldier begins his counter attack. This time, he draws out two swords. The demon unleashes a barrage of sword slashes at the human general. Origen is skilled with a shield, he mixes both defensive and offensive maneuvers with his shieldplay. He''s an impenetrable fortress when defending, and an unstoppable earthquake when attacking. The demon''s flurries of slashes do no good in hitting the man of God. Just when he thinks he has a chance to attack, the demon is met with a shield bash to the face, which luckily hits his swords instead when he realizes his mistake and goes back to defend himself.

    ''I can''t defeat him'', thinks the demon soldier. Even though he hasn''t run out of steam, Origen''s overwhelming strength is still making his will to fight waver. The paladin starts to approach the demon with his mace held high. His smile disappears, replaced by a stern and solemn face befitting one who kills in the name of God.

    Only a miracle can help Lapidoth defeat a man blessed by Lielos''s holy light.

    -Salvation to all!

    But defeating Origen isn''t his original intention anyway. Lapidoth already knows he can''t defeat Origen from the start. However, there is something else that he can do.

    That is drawing Origen far away from his followers.

    "Do it now, shitheads!"

    Lapidoth yells, and there comes a bang sound afterward. From the darkness behind the human soldiers comes a bullet. It pierces through the helmet of the nearest soldier, reducing their number from seven to six. A number passable enough for the four demons and a familiar behind to think they have chance of defeating these humans.

    "Charge! Kill all of them for the glory of the Demon Realm!"

    Another battle of men and demons has just only begun.

 Chapter 34: The might of man

    The earlier gunshot marks the start of another battle behind the duel of man and demon. It already claimed the life of one, but on the other hand, also alerted the remaining six. The six soldiers turn their back around with weapons in hand, preparing themselves for a battle of life and death.

    ¡°Charge! Kill all of them for the glory of the Demon Realm!¡±

    The human soldiers hear a battle cry. Of course, the content is unbeknownst to them, but when a demon yells out loud something before a human, it usually involves killing humans or the Demon Realm, sometimes both. From the darkness behind them come four demon soldiers, their swords ready in hand. Behind them is a young Melas cadet with human-like features, wearing their signature combat cloak. But that is irrelevant, if he¡¯s with the demons then he is a demon, and there¡¯s only one thing a human would do to a demon who opposes them.

    -The general told us to be on guard. And fail him, we shall not! Men, show them the might of us human!

    The human soldiers shout out loud their battle cry. The death of their unlucky comrade doesn¡¯t weight them down, because his death isn¡¯t the only casualty they have up until now. Their comrades outside are dying by seconds, on their shoulders are the weight of hundreds, if not thousands of those who had fallen and passed their will onto them. So, they will not fall, not today, not until their mission is done, not until their duty is fulfilled, not until their faith is repaid.

    -Kill them all!

    The human soldiers rush at their enemy, closing the distance between both parties. The two sides start clashing swords. The sparks made by clashing metal lighten the battleground bit by bit like a small swarm of fireflies. It shows that the human are overwhelming their demon opponents. Each sword exchanges draw the humans closer to victory. The goat-head demon soldiers, despite having the initiative from their surprise attack, find their sword skills being out-matched by those used by the human soldiers.

    ¡°Impossi...!¡±

    A demon soldier gets killed mid-sentence. His body falls to the ground as his throat was cut, lying there to bleed till his death. Another have a sword ran through his torso. The wound makes him too weak to do anything, and gets himself a quick mercy with a stab through the heart. The remaining ones get pushed back to the darkness whence they came from. Their surprise attack fail, for reasons they do not understand.

    There¡¯re only two demon soldiers left, if not counting the human familiar staying behind from the start of the fight, whose reason not to join the fray is due to his fear of friendly fire, and probably something else as well. His ranged weapon is a merciless one, once fired, it can¡¯t be directed to another direction, unlike a sword slash. Each shot is aimed to kill, and certainly not something to be used liberally in a chaotic swords exchange.

    But now that his own side¡¯s rank have become a bit thinner, there is no longer any restraint to stop him from using his trump card.

    BANG!

    He opens fire. A bullet goes out of his gun¡¯s barrel and pierces through the nearest human soldier¡¯s body armor.

    -Urgah!

    The human soldier who gets shot falls to his knee, but he does not submit. It wounds him, but it fails to kill him, not yet. He stands up with the help of his comrades and sets his sight on the one who shot him, as do his comrades.

    A normal bullet could have seal the deed, and a normal bullet is indeed something the young familiar with a gun used earlier. But it is not enough. ¡®Probably because of his armor¡¯, thought Akuma. It¡¯s not hard enough to be bulletproof, but the iron armor wore by the human soldier is indeed a fine piece of craft made by the Kingdom of Metal. It reduces the piercing force and the damage the bullet causes. Either he needs to waste more ammo at the torso, or aims through the head for a quick kill, which is a bit hard to perform. These choices are not difficult to choose for a trained killer, but they are to Akuma. For someone who just has his first kill, killing does not get easier, not yet. But he has already accepted there are things that simply must be done. If he does not kill, he will get himself and those around him killed.

    ¡°You stand there and laid waste to the enemy. We¡¯ll try to protect you.¡±

    Says a goat-head demon soldier. Akuma remembers this voice, he¡¯s the bearded guy that harassed him and Iola yesterday. But that is irrelevant. Right now, both of them are fighting for their life. He is Akuma¡¯s ally, and Akuma is the same to him. If Akuma fails, both will die. A good reason to shove mercy aside and rain bullets on their enemy.

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    With iron resolve, Akuma opens fire again. This time, he finishes the job with the wounded soldier earlier. A bullet through the chest, right at his heart. The torso has always been an easier target to shoot at rather than the head, and Akuma prefers not to waste his precious bullets. To Akuma, this isn¡¯t a game, it¡¯s a battle to survive and to prevail.

    When their number has been reduced to only five, Akuma begins to turn his target to the remaining human soldiers. But by the time he gets his second kill count, the soldiers have already figured out Akuma¡¯s gimmick. The element of surprise is no longer in his favor. The soldiers start to take a more swift approach. They randomize their rushing pattern, rather than running in a straight path, they divide their ranks and attack from two sides, which is guarded by the two demon soldiers as per planned.

    One side is taken by three human, the other two go for the remaining one. The two demons soldier have their limit. They can¡¯t handle more than two at once, which is why Akuma goes for the side with the most numerous attackers. It seems his left side, guarded by the bearded demon, is currently in a pinch with three humans charging at him at once, so the following gun shots are dedicated to those enemies. The first barrage fail to find their way to hit anything, but Akuma manages to get a lucky shot at a soldier¡¯s leg. He stumbles to the ground, and can¡¯t keep up the pace with his other comrades. This gives the bearded demon an easier time to fend for himself. But in that short span of time, the right side defended by the other soldier has already fallen. The demon soldier defending the place gets out-skilled by his opponents. He fails to get a clean hit, and meets his end with a blade through his stomach.

    Even though the surprise attack took away a few of their enemies, Akuma and the other demon probably don¡¯t expect things to turn out this way. By logic, a common devilman can match two ordinary humans, but in this battle, they can barely match one, let alone two at the same time.

    ¡°Get out of here! The plan failed! Run away, now!¡±

    From the other side of the hall way, Lapidoth shouts. This opens a small chance for an attack from Origen, and he exploits it. A mace attack from sideway. Lapidoth is not foolish enough to take an attack that can crush boulders to the face. He uses his twin swords to block the attack, and gets pushed to the back from pure force alone. He doesn¡¯t get away from blocking unscathed, his arms are trembling and numbed by the sheer physical power Origen possesses. If what people said about a devilman has the strength twice a common man is true, then Origen himself must have the strength of one hundred devilman combined.

    Without giving him a chance to breath, Origen continues his assault at Lapidoth, not with his mace, but his shield instead. The mace gives him too many openings, yet his shield can do the same job and protect him at the same time. It¡¯s like Origen¡¯s mace isn¡¯t his weapon in the first place, the black man is terrifying enough with his shield alone.

    CLANG

    Origen¡¯s shield and Lapidoth¡¯s swords clash. As Lapidoth tries not to get himself killed, his opponent suddenly starts talking.

    -Surprise your sneak attack failed? That is to be expected!

    At this point, Origen no longer cares whether or not his opponent knows the human¡¯s language. Both sides are already having a conversation with swords and shield as their mouthpieces. Origen learns his opponent¡¯s aniexty through his shivering blades, and Lapidoth learns his enemy¡¯s iron will through the unmovable shield he carries.

    -They are men handpicked by me solely for this mission. They may not be able to best you in combat, but my trust in their skills is as strong as their faith in my righteous cause! They will not be defeated by the common demons you brought with you!

    Origen bashes his shield at Lapidoth¡¯s swords. This time, Lapidoth can no longer withstand the black paladin¡¯s unparalleled strength. The sword on his right gets blown out of Lapidoth¡¯s hand, and probably breaks a few of his finger bones in the process. But the demon soldier does not yield, he quickly improvise by drawing the knife attached on his belt as a back-up weapon. Origen of course doesn¡¯t allow him a chance to attack, he swings his mace in hope of a quick end to this fight. But, like a ghost, as the mace makes contact with his body, Lapidoth dodges it, not by rolling, but by walking. It looks like he just put a few steps in a nonchalantly way. It¡¯s not something Origen can describe with words, like how he hit him with mace, yet doesn¡¯t, the attack looks like it just phrase through the demon soldier¡¯s body, but Origen doesn¡¯t feel that way. He swings his mace down, hit Lapidoth¡¯s body, yet it turns out to be a mere after-image. In a span of an eye-blink, Lapidoth is already standing on Origen¡¯s right side.

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    ¡®What strange technique, I never fought someone with this kind of abilities before¡¯, thinks Origen as Lapidoth starts his payback. He swiftly dances the volley of death with his blade and dagger combo, which Origen barely manages to block using his mace. Origen once again successfully defends himself, but for the first time, Lapidoth actually lands a hit on him. A wound through his vambrace, made possible by Lapidoth¡¯s dagger. Origen has familiarized himself with Lapidoth¡¯s twin swords style, but a shift to a sword and dagger combo catches him by surprise. Most armored soldiers don¡¯t use knife as a primary weapon. To a well-made metal armor, knives and daggers are as good as toothpicks if they can¡¯t penetrate the places an armor can¡¯t cover. But not in his case, Lapidoth¡¯s dagger actually cut through the iron vambrace protecting the black man¡¯s arm. The wound is not serious and doesn¡¯t hinder Origen¡¯s ability to crush people to a pulp with his mace, but it does serve as a warning bell for him to quickly end this charade. If he lets this go out for too long, Origen may find himself dead before fulfilling his duty. Not to mention the fighting behind his back. His men need him more than he need himself.

    -Gruahh! You will pay for this!

    Origen shouts. He furiously swings his mace, acting as if such wrath came from being wounded by his adversary. The angry face of a prejudiced Lutumian man like him probably makes such an atrocious acting successful, and it looks like Lapidoth took the bait. He performs his mysterious ability to phrase through attacks once again, and again, and again. The air is the only thing getting attacked by Origen, he¡¯s wasting his strength, but not in vain. Slowly, Origen analyzes the sound made by both side, detaching the noise of his mace swinging in the air, the cries of pain from his followers behind him, the chaotic battlefield outside where only tiny cries of despair can be heard. Without all those, all he can hear are footsteps, made by the demon soldier in front of him.

    His eyes can deceive him, but his ears will not.

    -This charade ends here!

    After he deciphers the pattern of Lapidoth¡¯s dodging technique, Origen pushes his shield at the space he predicts Lapidoth will dodge to. And his deduction doesn¡¯t fail him, a shield charged with soul energy, rams right at Lapidoth¡¯s side. No amount of blocking from the demon soldier can protect him from the force channeled by the Black Paladin. Similar to being rammed by a truck, Lapidoth gets blown at a nearby wall, making a rather big hole in the process. His sword shatters to pieces of metal, it takes most of the blow for him, but that doesn¡¯t make Lapidoth¡¯s condition any better. There is blood flowing through the mouth of his helmet. The demon soldier is rendered immobile, it¡¯s ambiguous whether he still lives or not.

    But that is not Origen¡¯s concern, and neither is Akuma¡¯s, even if the young man is scared for life when his hope gets crushed from the sight of Lapidoth¡¯s defeat.

    The bearded demon soldier dies. He fiercely halts the humans¡¯ track with Akuma¡¯s support, and such valor gets him a sword through his chest. The humans¡¯ numbers have been reduced to three, with two of them wounded by Akuma¡¯s gunfire, but their iron armors render his bullets ineffective. Even when wounded, they are still capable of fighting to the bitter end, and even an unwounded devilman soldier cannot stop their track. Is it their skills in battle that helps them prevail, or is it something else? Akuma certainly doesn¡¯t want to stay and find out. He has already emptied his gun and is in need to reload, but the moment he stand till to reload his gun will be the start of his end. If he shows an opening, the human soldiers will rush at him to put a sword through his chest, like how the bearded demon met his end earlier.

    Before he plans out his next move, Akuma needs to get out of this situation first.

    ¡®There¡¯s only one way left¡¯

    Akuma puts his hand into his cloak and takes out a pipe bomb, the timer type. He activates it, throws it toward the approaching humans and runs away. In the span of three seconds, it will explode and destroy the pursuing humans. That is his plan, but¡­

    -Don¡¯t follow him!

    The only unwounded human soldier suddenly shouts, which stops his other two comrades from pursuing. They are standing out of the estimated blast radius, and will be unharmed when it goes off. A pity for Akuma indeed, but nevertheless, it gives him some more space and time for a retreat.

    BOOM!

    The pipe bomb explodes, taking a chunk of the wall leading to the sky outside along with it. The soldiers are unharmed, but a part of the floor is not. When the dust is settled, all the human soldiers can see is a black trail of smoke blocking their vision. Akuma is no longer in their sight, but they are still alive, for now.

    -That was¡­dangerous. Thanks, Ettore, for your warning.

    Says a soldier. He seems tired, a gunshot wound above his stomach probably doesn¡¯t help.

    -How did you know what the enemy was planning?

    Another soldier asks. For a guy with a bullet in his shoulder, he still looks fine and is up for another brawl to the death.

    -Well, he ran after throwing that strange pipe toward us. So I thought it may be a trap. Seems like my intuition came true. We just barely escaped death.

    The final soldier answers. He¡¯s the only unwounded soldier in this small group, and is a bit shorter than the other two.

    -Don¡¯t get cocky just yet, kid!

    -I¡¯m not a kid!

    For a moment, it¡¯s like a war isn¡¯t happening around the soldiers, thanks to their small banter, but it matters naught to Akuma, who is hiding in a distance not far from them, underneath the black smoke he created using his smoke bomb. Something he made with Kardia¡¯s help, in case he needs to escape from his adversary. He never thought the time to utilize it would come so soon. But nonetheless, it saves his skin for the time being.

    If he run as fast as he can, Akuma may escape from this place and find protection under the main army. He would like to, and would have done it if he¡¯s still the same Akuma before the war. But the current Akuma, someone who have killed someone, and watched the people fighting beside him killed, can no longer afford such choice. They didn¡¯t pay their lives for him to escape with his, and Akuma knows it. He already made his resolve before Deborah that day. Even if he can¡¯t directly fight the human soldiers, at least he can wait for them to leave, check up on whether Lapidoth still live or not, and plan on the next move.

    Just like how they stopped before Akuma¡¯s pipe bomb earlier, maybe the human are cautious of his black smoke. That¡¯s what Akuma thought since he doesn¡¯t hear their banter anymore. No signs of people approaching. If he waits longer, maybe by the time the smoke fades away, the humans will be gone. But what if they¡¯re still there? He certainly can¡¯t face them with an emptied gun.

    Akuma wants to be ready by the time they arrive. Slowly, he detaches the empty magazine from his gun, puts it as silently as possible on the ground, takes out another loaded one, and puts it inside the gun once again. But he hasn¡¯t let the magazine fully in the gun, not yet.

    When he finishes reloading, there will be a sound coming from the gun. A crack sound, similar to the sound of a cricket, but nonetheless will alert the enemy should they decide to venture into his smoke. A risky move, should he goes all the way. The magazine only needs a push from his hand, the question is: Should he do it?

    He shouldn¡¯t, Akuma thinks about himself. But something makes him do it. A footstep that isn¡¯t his, inside the smoke. It shocks him into pushing the magazine into the gun, giving out a small crack sound.

    But that is enough to reveal his position.

    -Urgoahhh!

    A mace suddenly comes from under the black smoke. The full might of the man behind that weapon blows away all the smoke surrounding both of them. Akuma instinctively blocks with both of his hand, which gets him blown out of his position to the hallway behind him. His arms are numbs from the impact, but at least no bones are broken, despite the physical force his arms took. Kardia¡¯s enchanted cloak saves him yet again, it absorbed most of the blunt force. A lucky item to have in this situation, a situation Akuma certainly doesn¡¯t want to get into.

    Before him stands Origen, the Black Paladin, with his mace and shield by his side, his followers standing far away behind him. The man doesn¡¯t smile nor express any emotion, but Akuma can feel the fury underneath his mace. Of course, Akuma killed his followers, Origen¡¯s fury is justified, he just hides it very well.

    There¡¯s no running for him now. Akuma can¡¯t outrun him, not this man. The only choice is to fight. A risky fight for him, but should he win, there will be glory await.

    After all, what¡¯s a bigger glory than taking the life of the enemy¡¯s commanding general?

 Chapter 35: The iron resolve

    The black man presents himself in front of the young faux demon. Origen''s presence is intense, befitting someone who holds the title of General on top of a Paladin. To stand before him is similar to stand in front of a great mountain, it makes you feel your existence is extremely tiny and irrelevant, something that can be crushed in an instant and no one will notice its disappearance. Akuma is feeling that very same pressure. The sight of a two meters tall black paladin sends chill down his spine. For someone who has faced bizzare creatures such as a walking armored crab, Akuma can''t believe he is feeling fear from a normal human being just like Akuma himself. Origen is terrifying, far more terrifying than anything he has faced before.

    -You are a human, yet you sided with demons. You helped the demons shed the blood of our kind. That is a sin I can''t simply forgive.

    Origen speaks. His stern voice isn''t that of a paladin speaking to a demon, but rather a father to a lost son. Akuma can''t hide his true heritage, not to this man, and that disappoints the man despite the two of them have never met until this moment. But that is no longer relevant, the young man has committed an irredeemable sin. Penance is no longer possible for Akuma, only death can save him from the sin he committed.

    -May you find repentance in death!

    Origen starts rushing at the young man. With his mace readied in hand, Origen attacks Akuma. The young man has neither superb sword skills nor inhuman dodging ability like Lapidoth, he can only depend his life on his protective cloak and prays that he will survive the night. Akuma once again blocks the attack with his arms, it doesn''t stop the attack, but merely minimizes the damage he received. Origen''s strength sends Akuma flying, but that is more preferable than having his whole body broken by that power.

    -Urgahh.

    Even with the cloak reinforced by Kardia''s alchemy, Akuma can still feel the numb on his hands. Even with no visible damage, his arms still feel like they just got crushed by a truck driving at maximum speed. He definitely doesn''t want that mace to hit his flesh body, that''s for sure. Thankfully, the attack greatly lengthens the distance between the two of them, giving him more time to prepare for an attack plan, or escape plan.

    ''Really? Escape?''

    He can''t believe such thought once again crosses his mind. If he escapes right now, that would make what he swore to Deborah that day meaningless. This is his battle, something he brought to himself when he dirtied his hands with the blood of humans. He can''t run, not after witnessing the lives lost fighting by his side. Just like back then, if he runs away, he won''t be able to face himself afterward. He already came to term with himself that day. He will no longer run from his battle, not anymore.

    His heart is filled with an iron resolve. Akuma makes up his mind. This will be a new battle between him and Origen.

    Akuma puts back the hood behind his cloak to protect his head, his opponent will not be so merciful to aim his attack at places other than his uncovered head if he keeps it unhooded.

    First, the young man uses what little time he has left before Origen arrives to assess the situation. The other three human soldiers are still staying behind in the back, it seems like they trust Origen enough to deal with Akuma by himself, or the thought that a mere human like Akuma can possibly defeat their trusted general never cross their mind to begin with. Either way, Akuma knows this will be a one on one fight, he can temporary let out the possibility of being stabbed in the back for the time being.

    The other problem lies with Origen. He is simply too powerful for a human, but he is still a human nonetheless. His armor doesn''t look like it''s any different than the other human soldiers, if Akuma can connect a shot, even Origen will be wounded. His unhelmeted bald head is also an option, but Akuma doubt he can make a clear shot with his current skill, not counting the paladin himself will simply let his opponent attack his bare head.

    Either way, he still has to try. Before Origen gets in range, Akuma draws out his now fully loaded gun. He aims at Origen, and opens fire.

    BANG! BANG!

    However, the black man quickly pulls his shield up when he catches sight of Akuma using his gun. The bullets Akuma fired bounce off his shield, fail to even make any meaningful impact. Akuma thinks the technology of this world''s mankind is probably medieval at best, so even a handgun can still pierce through most of the shields made with that level of technology. But it seems like Origen''s shield is something entirely different. Akuma''s gun can''t even put a dent on that shield. The magic of physic and gunpowder have failed him, and Origen continues charging faster when he finds out about Akuma''s trick.

    Once again, Akuma takes several shot at Origen. This time, he aims at Origen''s lower body, his legs in particular. He can halt his opponent''s track if he injure his legs, that thought crosses Akuma''s mind in an instant. But Origen''s shield once again renders Akuma''s effort for naught. His shield is too big, its coverage is almost entirely of Origen''s body aside from his feet. If Akuma aimed lower he would have miss his shots. It''s already too late for Akuma to take another turn as Origen finally closes the gap. This time however, Akuma won''t let himself be a sitting duck. He has legs, and he will use them to dodge the oncoming mace.

    -Urgghh!

    Seems like Origen himself has already figured out why his attacks are ineffective even when they all connected, so this time he aims straight at Akuma''s face with his mace. Since it''s hard for someone to live his life with a smashed face, of course Akuma prioritizes protecting his face, but rather than using both his hand like before, he only uses his gun-using arm, which is his left. His right arm however is holding something else, as the force from Origen''s mace pushes him away, he lets go the pipe bomb he is holding prior to getting hit. His left arm is still numb, of course, but thanks to Origen propelling him away, he is already out of the blast radius.

    BOOM!

    The pipe bomb explodes. Akuma has already activated the three seconds time bomb before he threw it away in an attempt to trap his opponent. A risky move, but not as risky as the things he did before. His reaction speed seems to be better than normal. The fear of death stimulates him more than it should, enough for him to keep up with Origen. But to defeat the man, it requires more than just reaction speed.

    When the smoke fades away from the blast site, Origen reveals himself, still unharmed. He is crouching and hiding behind his round shield. It absorbed all the impact made by the pipe bomb at point blank, and even that explosion failed to put a dent on the shield itself.

    ''Just what in the world is that shield made of¡­'', thinks Akuma. The advantage of being from the modern world does naught in defeating someone from a seemingly inferior culture. No, that''s not it, the gap of technology is meaningless. Origen is just simply someone he can''t defeat.

    -Damn it¡­!

    Akuma can''t help but cuss. He frowns, this is a time where he truly think everything he did is meaningless.

    -You use a lot of exotic magics. They certainly took me by surprise, but it''s your mistake to use them on my soldiers before fighting me.

    The black paladin stands up with his shield by his side. His stern face of anger is still there, but it softens somewhat and becomes a face of tranquility.

    -It''s such a regret that you use your arcane knowledge not for the good of mankind, but to bring terrors for the demons. I dare not to imagine a future where the demons get bolstered with your support by their side. Which is why...you will not leave here alive!

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    Origen roars and rushes at Akuma like an enraged bull. The fright messes up his thoughts for several seconds before Akuma reassembles his mind in search for a way not to get himself killed. His gun failed, his pipe bomb failed, the only thing left he has in disposal is his RG bomb. The bomb''s power may be enough to render Origen immobile, he thinks to himself, but Akuma can''t just simply throw that thing around like a grenade, and he doubt Origen will fall for such an obviously dangerous object. He needs a better plan, the only chance he has to make such plan come true doesn''t lie here in this hallway. Either way, he needs to survive Origen''s next attack first. His life now lies not on his running legs, but on his friend''s gift.

    -Take this!

    Once again, Origen throws an attack at Akuma with his mace aiming at the cadet''s face, which Akuma defends himself with his arms as per reflex. If Origen once again fails to make any damage, it will give him more time and chances to make a proper counterattack.

    But it is too naive of Akuma to think Origen would resort to an ineffective attack over and over again.

    -Urowahhh!

    Origen purposely misses his mace attack, he spins his body around and flings his shield at Akuma from the bottom to the top. He actives some sort of switch in the middle of his attack, which causes the edges of his shield to turn from simple blunt metal into a sharp blade. With the momentum he gathered, it''s practically an upper slash with an iron sword, even when Origen is using his shield instead.

    -Arghh!!

    Blood has been shed. Akuma''s cloak does not protect him from blade attacks, a fact that Origen himself seems to aware after his failed attempts prior. Akuma''s body gets sent flying, with a trail of blood from his front torso accompanying him. As his body lands, the blood from his wound bursts out from the impact. The wound is deep, almost severe enough to seperate his body into two should his legs were a bit slower. But nonetheless, a normal human being cannot survive with this sort of wound.

    Akuma can only lay here dying. Blood starts to flow from his mouth. He is overwhelmed by pain, sapping out all his strength to even let out a groan. His hands are trembling in fear of facing his impending fate.

    ''Why?'' He asks himself, over and over again. His resolve is as tough as iron. If he keeps fighting, may be he will eventually win. Even if it''s just a ''maybe'', Akuma still wants to believe with a strong enough willpower, he can eventually make that ''maybe'' into ''certainty''. That''s how he has always fought his way, up until this day. But¡­

    -I admire your fighting spirit. But willpower alone can''t make up for your lack of strength, young human.

    Origen approaches the bleeding cadet. He points his shield at Akuma, seemingly prepares to deliver a final blow. Akuma can see his blood soaked red on the shield''s edge with his wavering eyes. Only at this moment does he understand what Deborah was trying to do for him all this time.

    Even iron can be bent. Even willpower can be broken. The strength of mind cannot simply supplement the strength of body. He was naive to think he can survive in this world with knowledge alone.

    And now, Akuma will have to pay the price of his ignorance.

    -I may not be a very good priest, but at the very least, I want to listen to your final words before I deliver the mercy you deserve. Speak, young man.

    Akuma wants to say something, but can''t. Speaking final words is harder than he thought, despite the people he saw in movies can do it just fine even when they''re near their death. He is both sad and amused, sad that he even lack the strength to say the final words of his life, amused that he doesn''t even know what he should say when he finally meets his own ending.

    He never thought about it even once, about the words he should prepare before departing from this world. He never thought his death will be a merry one, with people mourning by his side as he lays dying and listen to his last requests. That was a fact he has prepared and accepted himself a long time ago. Yet, he never thought it would come so soon like this.

    ''It''s unfair, so unfair¡­''

    -So you don''t even have any strength left to say anything...such a pity...Very well then, I will let you suffer no longer.

    Origen closes his eyes, as if offering Akuma a silent prayer. His silence doesn''t last long, and Origen resumes to prepare his shield for a decapitation.

    -You fought well, young human. Such a pity for you to end up this way. May you find salvation in the afterlife.

    Akuma closes his eyes, as if accepting his final moment. He has his regrets, but if he''s going to die, at the very least, he wants to accept his death with some dignity, rather than whining about it.

    Even so, deep inside his heart, he wants to live...

    Origen prepares his strength, before finally delivering the killing strike.

    But, at that moment¡­

    "STOP!"

    A man yells as he makes his entrance through the hallways'' windows. He is a bulky man, with a body frame as ig as the black paladin himself. He is wearing a standard iron armor, albeit a bit lacking in several departments like a helmet, but nonetheless, he''s not very different from the devilmen Origen met in his life before. Yet, the moment he makes his entrance, Origen is overwhelmed by sheer pressure from the imminent danger, enough to stop his attack and focus on the iron axe on the man''s hand as it aims toward his head.

    CLANG

    To Origen''s surprise, the bulky devilman''s power with his axe is strong enough to push him back for five meters from his initial position. The surprise element maybe is one factor, but Origen can''t believe there is someone here strong enough to push him back this far. A sudden appearance of a strong enemy, Origen can''t believe it himself, especially when he is already pressed for time with his own mission to accomplish.

    From behind his back, his soldiers are also seem to be in a bit trouble themselves, as the bald devilman with a brown beard has brought some company along with him. Three demon soldiers also make their appearance through the windows with ropes from the upper floor, and are now engaging in combat with the human solders. A sudden turn of event.

    "Soldier, can you stand?"

    The demon with the brown beard speaks. He isn''t talking to the dying young man, but to the wounded demon soldier that Origen fought earlier, who somehow found his way across the three soldiers and arrived at this end of the hallway, near the half-dead young cadet.

    "Barely...Mr.Lodbrok."

    The soldier named Lapidoth answers. His breathing is heavy, certainly isn''t something to be expected from a healthy man. Of course, someone who got crushed so hard the wall behind him started cracking certainly can''t be called a healthy man.

    "Can I ask you to bring that stupid kid out of here and get him a medic before he die?"

    Says Bjarni Lodbrok, the head of the War Arts Department.

    "Seems impossible to me¡­"

    "Then make it possible, maggot!"

    The old demon yells, which leaves Lapidoth no choice but to comply. He approaches Akuma, and uses every strength he has left to drag him out of this battlefield. Origen doesn''t even try to stop that. One reason is because he doesn''t want to attack wounded soldiers aside from delivering killing strikes, the other is because someone strong enough to push him back certainly won''t let him go after his student on his watch.

    The two old men face off. Unlike Lapidoth, this won''t be a fight about speed and technique. Unlike, Akuma, this won''t be a fight about tricks and willpower. Both of them have similar strength, and thus, this will be a battle decided by pure power and force.

    And the bloodshed once again continues.

 Chapter 36: The girl whoéˆ¥æªš awake

    Somehow, I found myself alone in the darkness.

    I could no longer remember how long had I been lying on the stone floor, which was cold and wet thanks to being drenched in water. I would like to take a look, but found myself unable to. My eyes didn¡¯t seem to work, they could barely catch glimpses at the darkness surrounding me. Even if my eyesight returned, there was simply no source of light to see what¡¯s ahead.

    However, I was rather thankful to be able to regain my ability of thought, but that wasn¡¯t a very useful thing to have when I was immobile like a rock, unable to move even a finger. It would be easier if my consciousness didn¡¯t return before I could move my body. It would just fill me with questions and doubt that I could not answer. It wouldn¡¯t be any different than a torture, being in this state.

    I didn¡¯t know how long it had been, lying under the cold and wet floor, under the pitch black darkness that shrouded everything in layers of mystery, with only my mind as the only thing that had some sense of activity.

    But that didn¡¯t help much. What could I think about? Aside from why was I lying immobile in a place without light, and naked like a newborn baby on the wet stone floor? Would I find my answers if I think hard enough? That was what I told myself to keep me busy in the following moments, but that wasn¡¯t something that bore fruits.

    I didn¡¯t know who I was, why was I here, why was I in this state. I didn¡¯t remember, I couldn¡¯t remember. My memory was blank, with nothing noteworthy that I could recollect.

    Eventually, I gave up on finding out the answers I wanted, but rather focusing on the things I could remember, or rather, know, to be exact. It wasn¡¯t much, but at least I knew what was light and what was darkness, what was hard and soft, what my body parts could do, and what a newborn baby was like. Just a bit, enough to barely knew how things around me function. I think this was what they call common knowledge, but common for what standard?

    I didn¡¯t know of the world around me, or the world that was mine before I found myself in this place. Would my common be the same at their common? Would light still mean light and dark still mean dark? I did not know.

    What was waiting ahead of me? Should I just lie here for eternity if I was afraid of what beyond the darkness?

    I didn¡¯t know. I didn¡¯t even know what I want¡­

    Someone, please, help¡­

    Save me from this abyss...anyone.

    I didn¡¯t want to be alone...by myself forever.

    But no one answered my plea. Darkness was my only companion. And I continued lying there, waiting for something to happen.

    Every seconds felt like hours, every hours felt like days. This torturous feeling only stopped when I regained a bit of my strength, and was able to lift a finger. Only a simple act of movement, yet I couldn¡¯t describe the joy I felt. Soon, my eyes could see better in the darkness, and I could move a part of my arm. If more time passed, maybe I could finally stand up and walked out of here.

    However, that time came sooner that I thought it would.

    A flame, burning brightly in the middle of the darkness. A moving flame on top of a wooden stick. A torch, if I remembered it right. Someone holding a torch approached me. From what I could make of the little light, it seemed the one standing before me was a woman. She had long gray hair and a pair of gray eyes, she looked young, yet her demeanor somehow gave off the vibe of an elderly woman instead. The woman in gray robe looked surprised, her eyes opened wide, as if she was looking at something that shouldn¡¯t be here.

    ¡°You...how in the the world¡­? Who did this? How could they break the seal?¡±

    The woman muttered to herself. I could barely understand what she¡¯s saying, but it seemed like she really was surprised. But that didn¡¯t matter, someone had came. There was only one thing for me to do.

    I yearned for help.

    ¡°So...you are awake...¡±

    Slowly, I pulled my arm toward the woman. But...I could not reach her, my strength failed me. My arm stumbled into the ground, helplessly lying there and unable to move further.

    ¡°Ur...ha¡­¡±

    I yearned. My mouth uttered out incomprehensible words. They almost sounded like the cry of a newborn child. I might not be a child, but I was crying. I didn¡¯t know if it was true, but I felt like I was crying. There were tears flowing from my eyes, from the joy of seeing someone for the first time, after having the pitch black darkness as my only companion.

    ¡°H...e¡­l¡­p¡­¡±

    I desperately yearned, and I yearned, and yearned. If I stayed too quiet, she might leave me here again, forever in the dark. I could not imagine how hellish it would be. I didn¡¯t want to be alone again.

    Save me, help me, deliver me from this loneliness.

    I tried yearning one more time, my arm continued to reach the woman in gray. Yet, my strength once again failed me. I was powerless to do anything¡­even to save myself.

    But, the woman caught my falling arm. The torch got dropped on the stone floor, burning away. However, there was another source of light, it came from the top of the woman¡¯s staff. Unlike the fire, the light it radiated was similar to the light of the sun. A warm and shiny light.

    ¡°Can you understand me, child?¡±

    With what little strength I could gather, I nodded.

    ¡°If you can understand me, then listen carefully to my words, child. Do you want to get out of here? To return to the outside world and away from this prison? If you want freedom, then from this point onward, you have to listen to my words and obey my teaching. If you don¡¯t, I will leave you here to rot for eternity.¡±

    The woman¡¯s words sounded more like a threat than the comfort I expected from someone who came here to be my savior.

    ¡°Forgive me, child, but I can¡¯t let you free if you don¡¯t promise me...¡±

    I didn¡¯t want to be left alone, I didn¡¯t want to rot here. I wanted to see the sunlight and the moonlight. To feel the cold of winter, and the warmth of spring. I had no other choice, but to accept.

    I nodded, but the woman didn¡¯t seem to be convinced with a mere nod. That was why, I used up all my strength for a proper sentence.

    ¡°I...pro...mise¡­¡±

    ¡°...Very well. I shall take it upon me as your guardian from this day onward.¡±

    The woman used her hand and caressed my face, like a mother to her daughter. The warmth I received from her hand showed me that this was what it meant to live.

    ¡°Do you remember you name, child?¡±

    The woman asked. I shook my head, since I had no memory of who I was prior to all of this.

    ¡°Very well then. Your name from now on will be¡­¡±

    ------------------

    I wake up from my sleep, with my body drenched in sweat.

    I just had a dream, a strange dream, of somewhere unfamiliar, through the eyes of someone I do not know. But there is one thing for sure, I saw Headmaster Nilrem in that dream.

    Is it really important? I do not know. Dream is a strange thing, it may be a thing of the past, or a premonition of the future. But I cannot tell whether it is real or not.

    However, I do not live in the dimension of dreams. I live in my reality, no matter how absurd it currently is, but I can¡¯t escape from that reality.

    Which is why my eyes are now focusing on the things ahead, namely, the ceiling above.

    An old ceiling, not exactly ancient, but certainly is rusty. There are crystals with artificial light stored inside, but they are scarce, only enough to shine the way to get around the room, not enough to lighten the whole place as if it is daylight. But judging from the sound around, I have already figured out what is this place.

    The moaning of pain, the cry of the wounded, the rapid footsteps of busy doctors and nurses. I have been to this place once when I delivered the newly made medicines for them.

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    This place is a makeshift hospital, hosted at the castle¡¯s storage room. It¡¯s not a very big place, especially with all the food and material crates nearby, but still big enough to house a small legion of wounded men.

    Those are enough to know why am I here. Not as a medicine delivery boy, but as one of the wounded.

    I try moving my body to no avail. The pain coming from my chest is too much for me to handle, it paralyzes all of my body parts, enough to stop me from moving. I can barely move the white blanket covering my torso. Right now, I¡¯m useless. I just hope that I can recover from this sort of wound. If I happen to lead the life of a cripple afterward, maybe they shouldn¡¯t saved me from my death at Origen¡¯s hands to begin with.

    But, now that I think about it, how did I even survive a wound like that? And who saved me and carried me to this place?

    ¡°Oh. You are awake, I see.¡±

    A voice comes from somewhere nearby. Since I can¡¯t move my head, I can¡¯t see who¡¯s the owner of that voice, but he soon approaches me instead.

    ¡°We meet again, young cadet.¡±

    That eerie yet cheerful voice belongs to a talking skeleton, who¡¯s wearing something that resembles nomadic clothing. I remember him, he is the owner of this school¡¯s general shop. I...don¡¯t know his name, so let¡¯s call him Shopkeeper for the time being. But if he¡¯s here, then that means¡­

    ¡°WOF! WOF!¡±

    That dog is here as well! And it is lunging at me, crushing my bones under its weight while poisoning me on the face with its smelly saliva!

    Someone save me before I die for good!

    ¡°Not now, Fidus. Now is not playtime for you.¡±

    The skeleton shopkeeper takes the dog off me, but not away from me. It¡¯s still sitting there, waiting for another chance to strike. I know it will¡­I know it!

    ¡°He¡¯s just happy that you woke up. He found you while you were on the brink of death, after all.¡±

    I fall silent for a moment, like what they always say, a cat got my tongue.

    ¡°We were going back to our shop to fetch several things we forgot, and then this fella here just ran off away to somewhere when we were done. As I followed Fidus, I found you, dying, as you got carried on the back of a heavily wounded soldier. I brought you to the doctors, and they saved your life after an operation.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    I try nodding, but I¡¯m still too weak to do anything aside from moving my mouth to talk. However, that story still amazes the hell out of me. Surely, dogs are no friends of mine, but I don¡¯t mind being saved by one. My world doesn¡¯t lack tales of heroic dogs like him, but it¡¯s too bad that his tale won¡¯t appear on Earth.

    Come to think of it¡­

    ¡°You said of a wounded soldier...Do you know where he is?¡±

    Or did he¡­

    ¡°I¡¯m not dead yet, if you¡¯re asking.¡±

    I hear his voice, Lapidoth¡¯s voice. It¡¯s still the same irritating voice of a prick, but a part of me is glad that he made it through the battle.

    ¡°Or would you be glad if I did die before you?¡±

    He¡¯s still kind of a dick, though.

    ¡°Mister Lapidoth.¡±

    Soon, the soldier approaches the skeleton shopkeeper. His right arm is still covered in bandages, but right now it is supported by a cast as well. His armor and helmet is a bit dirtied with blood from his earlier battle, but that doesn¡¯t seem to stop him from being an asshole, mostly to me.

    ¡°How¡¯s your information gathering? Did you find anything noteworthy?¡±

    The shopkeeper asks. Seems like they have exchanged greetings when I was still under treatment.

    ¡°A bit, but not all are good. The influx of wounded soldiers had stopped, the dead had outnumbered the wounded. The guys outside can no longer afford to waste manpower for taking wounded soldiers inside for treatment. But, a quick thrust in the heart does wonders.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    The skeleton shopkeepers mutters as he hear the grim news from Lapidoth.

    ¡°There are other things that I learned, but those informations are for this foolish kid only.¡±

    ¡°Got it, then I won¡¯t bother both of you. Thank you, mister Lapidoth.¡±

    The shopkeeps nods.

    ¡°Come, Fidus. We still have jobs to do.¡±

    The dog barks. However, rather than following its master, it lunges at Lapidoth instead and hugs him. Yet, the man laughs and happily pets the dog¡¯s head, which makes the dog very happy.

    ¡°Ha ha. You¡¯re too heavy, big boy. Maybe you should consider a diet.¡±

    I know I literally just met him yesterday, but this is the first time I hear him laugh without being ironic about it. It¡¯s...strangely comforting.

    ¡°That¡¯s nice. Fidus is usually shy in front of strangers.¡±

    The shopkeeper speaks, accompanied by the dog¡¯s bark as if he¡¯s trying to confirm its master¡¯s words.

    ¡°He¡¯s right, you know? You shouldn¡¯t get too familiar with strangers. Now go back to your master, before you kill me with your weight!¡±

    The dog barks, and surprisingly, it listens to Lapidoth¡¯s words. Soon, both the dog and its master return their own task, leaving me and Lapidoth on our own.

    ¡°Poor guy, he¡¯s helping out in a war that isn¡¯t his. They worked him to the bone and made him help tend the wounded in this place. But he accepted that task with a smile, and helped out anyway. Can the same be said to you, who didn¡¯t run away despite being especially told to?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Now I wish that the shopkeeper and his dog didn¡¯t go away. The more I spend more time near this soldier, the more irritating it becomes. Why does he keep coming back to me anyway?

    ¡°You were lucky to miss this place at its worst moment.¡±

    The guy suddenly sits near the place I am lying and continues his story.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t suffer, because you were near dead when you were brought here. You even lacked the strength to moan from pain. But these soldiers here? They didn¡¯t have the luxury you got. They still have the strength to scream when their arms or legs got amputated. Healing magic could only do so much when they were still fighting even when wounded before being brought here. Can you understand that? Of course you can¡¯t, you were too busy dying to even feel pain.¡±

    Lapidoth monologues, as if he doesn¡¯t care if I would answer him or not.

    ¡°But, the thing is, you didn¡¯t die. You miraculously survived an operation with a low chance of success, as they mended a wound too grave it would kill a normal man in minutes . You miraculously woke up, just after severals hours post-operation. Was that a normal thing? It certainly wasn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°So? What¡¯s your point?¡±

    I ask. I don¡¯t want to hear lectures from him, especially after being revived to life, just like what he said.

    ¡°...I am saying that you are blessed, kid. You are protected by some sort of...invisible guardian. Like fate itself is keeping you alive, you know that?¡±

    ¡°It sure is nice, being blessed like that. It means I can throw myself at fights without a fear of death. Isn¡¯t that a good thing?¡±

    *SMACK*

    Suddenly, I get punched by Lapidoth in the face, who¡¯s still wearing his iron gauntlet. It hurts, it hurts a lot, and leaves me with a bloodied mouth, but I lack the strength to even moan right now. All I can do is to keep the pain in my head, and silently groan from the pain.

    ¡°Before you passed out, do you remember anything?¡±

    As I try to say something, Lapidoth takes over, and continues anyway.

    ¡°In case you don¡¯t remember, I¡¯ll spell it out for you: Before Origen delivered the killing strike, someone showed up, pushed him out of the way and ordered me to get you to safety as he stayed and fought Origen.¡±

    I can remember glimpses of that happening.

    ¡°That someone was Bjarni Lodbrok, your homeroom teacher and the Head of the War Arts.¡±

    Right, I can remember his bulky figure before I passed out. So he saved my ass once again...I should thank him the next time we meet.

    ¡°Bjarni Lodbrok...is dead.¡±

 Chapter 37: The struggle of warriors

    ¡¸Melas Main Castle ¨C Before midnight¡¹

    CLANG!

    The sound of clashing metal rang across the area, accompanied by the sound of broken walls and the battlecry of two warriors. Bjarni swung his battleaxe like a madman, yet in the midst of his wrathful flurries of attacks lied the precision of a battlemaster. His opponent could realize that after exchanging blows with the devilman. Despite the various openings for a counter-attack, the human general could not simply forgo his defence lest he fell prey to the bulky demon''s battleaxe.

    "Perish!"

    Once again, Origen got blowned away. His shield was the only thing standing between his life and his opponent''s axe. Fighting Bjarni was like fighting a bull, he just couldn''t fight them head lest he got crushed by their overwhelming strength. It was too bad for him that unlike his earlier opponent, Origen''s imposing figure wasn''t suitable for nimble movements like Lapidoth. However, that was irrelevant. Origen has his own fighting style, he didn''t have to dodge any attacks. As long as he has his shield up, he could block anything, anything.

    -Orgahh!

    Origen charged. All his strength had been channeled into his shield. Rather than merely taking hits, Origen started actively bashing his shield at Bjarni. Sometime he used the shield to block, others for attacking. His iron mace looked like a mere decoration rather than the weapon it was intended. With his shield, Origen started taking back the momentum from the old demon. Blow by blow, his shield pushed through Bjarni''s attacks, which culminated into a final shield bash from Origen.

    -Eat this!

    Origen''s shield glowed, it was shrouded in a holy light. Origen concentrated his soul energy into one powerful attack, the same attack he used on Lapidoth earlier. The moment Bjarni''s battleaxe met his shield once again, he released all the energy stored inside the shield and forced it out at the opponent. The attack connected, Bjarni got blown away, but unlike Lapidoth earlier, he held his own and stood strong with his feet. The attack earlier only lengthened the distance between the two of them, rather than deciding the battle like the fight with Lapidoth earlier.

    -Nice shield you got there.

    The old demon suddenly spoke, all while a small trail of blood dripped down his mouth. Not only that, there were also blood flowing through his gaunlets and armor. The attack did work and wound Origen, but it appeared it simply wasn''t enough to take this old demon down for good.

    -Can''t believe I live long enough to witness ¡¸Evalach, Shield of Unyelding Will¡¹ in action. For you to have one of the ¡¸Hundred Regalias¡¹ in your possession, I guess that is to be expected from a Paladin of Luminis.

    The black paladin seemed surprised. He didn''t expect his opponent was capable of using the human language to communicate with him like this, let alone knowing about his blessed shield.

    -You are very fluent in human language. I certainly doesn''t expect that from a fellow musclehead. And to think you even know of the Hundred Regalias.

    -Well, I had my fair share of service back in the previous war. Uhahahah! We got hit by all kind of divine weapons your kind could gathered. I never saw your shield before, but I had heard of it. The red cross on your shield told me everything I need. The divine shield only those with an unbendable will can wield, Evalach.

    Bjarni laughed, even when blood didn''t stop flowing from his mouth. Not a very pretty sight.

    -A fellow war veteran, I see. I never expect you to be this knowledgeable. Truly you can''t judge a man with the first look alone.

    Origen paused, before continuing.

    -How did you find out my location, old demon?

    Bjarni''s sudden appearance earlier still bothered Origen''s train of thought. If they were in the mood for a conversation, then why not?

    -The explosions, they brought me and my men here. The first one alerted us of something was wrong when we were in the middle of patrolling the castle, the second pinpointed us the exact location of where it was happening. And then, you know the rest. Luckily, I managed to save my student before you delivered the killing strike. Enough youth have died for the bickers of old men like us.

    Earlier, at the start of the war, Bjarni heard reports of Origen marching at the North-East ward of the castle, which was later revealed to be a feint attack, led by someone wearing Origen''s armor to throw the demon''s ranks into confusion. Thankfully, his student, Deborah Draconis, brought an end to the feint attack, according to the intel. But that still left the question of "Where''s the real Origen?", which brought him into the castle patrol team, and led him to this fight.

    -So, you''re a teacher? Tell me, demon. How does it feel razing towns and villages, slaughtering the innocents¡­all in the name of your nation? If you even have a conscience in your heart, why would you want to let the youth of your kind subject to those same feelings?

    The old demon fell silent. He won''t deny the nasty things the demonkind did back when they were still the invaders of the human''s lands. But¡­

    -That''s why I''m here, away from the battlefield and the glory it entails, to teach the young not to blindly obey for something like ''the good of the Demon Realm''. Enough sins had been commited from the foolishness of our generation. I don''t want to create another generation of mindless killers. I want my students to be warriors who can do the right thing their heart tell them. I believe in them, and will happily wager my life for the future they will bring!

    Even when wounded, Bjarni''s voice was still as firm as ever befitting a teacher who trained numerous warriors for their Realm.

    -I see.

    The black man could only nod in respect.

    -But how about you? Paladin. Why do you continue to serve your God and go so far as to plunge yourself and your army to the heart of our land? As far as I know, Paladins were given a divine weapon from one of the Hundred Regalias when they swore eternal fealty for Lielos. But a shield can hardly be called a ''weapon'', don''t you think?

    Origen suddenly burst out a laugh, which could be heard even by his soldiers fighting for their life against Bjarni''s men.

    -My race have nothing to do with this. Instead of putting my faith in God, I''d rather put my faith in my men instead. My faith in them is why I am here, to crush your kind''s ambition! And their faith in me is why they are here, to make our wish for this war''s end come true! Your kind''s ambition will not bear fruit as long as there is still breath in my body!

    -So you knew of our future offensive plan¡­Which is why you took the intiative and attacked us first¡­

    Bjarni''s experession darkened. His eyes were full of killing intent.

    -I am sorry to say this, but you will not leave here alive¡­

    Bjarni suddenly dropped his battleaxe down. He moved his blood covered arm, and used all his remaining strength to smash the brown crystal on his forehead, his last resort. He might not showing it, but Bjarni had already got beaten by Origen. The attack earlier had wounded some of his internal organs, severely weakened him, but still not enough to put his life into danger. He actually ''could'' continue to put up a fight, or use his remaining strength to escape. But he couldn''t do that, not after knowing Origen''s intention. Which is why¡­he willingly chose to continue to fight until his death.

    -You¡­you''re mad! What you''re attempting to do will lead you to a fate worse than death!

    Origen shouted. It was rare for him to lose his composure like this. But his rare anxiousness was entirely justifiable.

    What the old demon attempted to do was to reawaken his ancient devil form, sealed inside the crystal of his forehead ever since the moment of his birth. The dark energies stored inside when broken would break free from the crystal, they would cover his body, transmogrified him into his true form more befitting to be called a ''demon''¡­

    -That is a small price¡­I am willing to pay¡­

    ¡­But the cost for that was the complete destruction of the old human-like body and mind of the devilman. Bjarni was essentially submitting to destroy himself to the very core, for the power to kill Origen before the human could fulfill his own wish.

    -Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

    The old demon screamed. The dark energies from his forehead had already transformed his arms to that of a gigantic beast. He fell to the ground and could only scream in agony as his body lost traces of his human-like form. His armor got broken by the sudden increase of body mass and size. Soon, Bjarni would cease to exist, he would be replaced by the beast of his true self, that of an ancient devil.

    -Demon, tell me your name¡­before I end your misery. At the very least, give me the honor of knowing the name of the one putting his life on the line trying to stop me.

    Said Origen. The man had his shield and mace up, but he didn''t strike the demon as he was transforming to a stronger and more beastial form. It was a practical move in theory, ending a threat before it started, but such action would soil not only his honor as a paladin, but also as a human being.

    -My name¡­is Bjarni¡­Lodbrok of the great Demon Realm! Remember that¡­!

    The last trace of his human features was gone. Bjarni Lodbrok turned into a huge quadrupedal humongous monster with two huge black horns on his head. He broke the above floor from his emergence alone. Under the moonlight, his thick brown skin was revealed, along with the black mane on his head and talons from his limbs. The mighty beast roared, a roar which soared into the sky.

    In a record about ancient demons which Origen once read, this type of demon was called ¡¸Behemoth, King of Beasts¡¹. One of the strongest known form of an ancient devil. And that mighty beast was standing before him, roaring at him with all his might, to complete the wish of an old demon who had perished from this world.

    ''I''m sorry¡­Brenna¡­Seems like your dad can''t go home this year again¡­''

    -----------------------------------

    ¡¸Melas Magic Department ¨C Past midnight¡¹

    What was once a normal hallway of the prestigious Melas''s Magic Department had now been reduced to mere rubbles. It looked just like a storm had passed by, in the form of a great battle between man and monster. In the middle of the hall, there lied the body of a monstrous beast, but it was no longer in condition to move or breath. The beast formerly known as Bjarni Lodbrok was dead, killed by his adversary, Paladin Origen. He had prevailed, once again.

    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    But not without a cost¡­

    -Damn¡­it''s stuck¡­

    In the mouth of the dead beast was Origen''s right arm, stuck inside along with his mace. Its mouth was shut tight, with its teeth pierced through the flesh of Origen''s arm as a final act of defiance, or maybe, it was acting on the last will of Bjarni Lodbrok. Either way, even with his strength, he couldn''t get his arm out of the beast''s mouth intact.

    -You sure did quite a number on me¡­Bjarni Lodbrok¡­

    Origen knew his arm was finished. It would still be useless even if a miracle happened and he got his arm out. He shouldn''t let an arm weight him down, as his arm was not the only wound he received during the rampage between him and the Behemoth from the main castle to his own destination, the Magic Department building. In his torso was the mark of a claw, it was not severe, but in the long run the bleeding wound would sap out his stamina, preventing him from completing his mission.

    Origen could not afford to waste more time like this.

    -General!

    A sound came from somewhere. Before Origen could make his move, one of his soldier arrived to the scene. Seemed to be the only soldier left after fighting Bjarni''s own men. Origen sighed, he certainly didn''t expect things would turn out this way, even when he knew his forces would have a hard time fighting in the heart of the enemy.

    -General¡­your arm!

    As his soldier rushed to his side, Origen used his remaining left arm, equipped with his shield Evalach, to stop the soldier from interfering.

    -You don''t need to exert yourself, soldier¡­I got this¡­

    With his left arm, Origen actived the shield''s blade mode. Using the edge of his shield, Origen deliverd a clean cut to saw off his arm. He used enough force to make the process quick, but it certainly wasn''t painless.

    -Shit!

    The man cussed as his blood flew out from what remained of his former right arm. With a combination of fatigue and blood loss, even a mighty man like Origen had to fall to his knees.

    -General!

    The soldier quickly took off the the protection gear on his right arm and ripped a piece of cloth from the sleeve of his shirt to mend his general''s wound. Using the makeshift gauze, the young soldier somehow stopped the bleeding, but a piece of cloth alone couldn''t help his general escape from the gaze of death. He quickly performed several healing spells in consecutive, almost to the point exhausting himself.

    His work however paid off. Soon, Origen regained his consciousness as he started talking again.

    -For a simple soldier¡­you really know how to save people from death¡­

    The black man smiled.

    -When we volunteered for this mission, we made sure to pick someone who can at least heal the others.

    The soldier answerd, which was met by a laugh from Origen.

    -Ha ha¡­right, there''s that¡­That demon sure hit me hard enough.

    Before the soldier could do anything, Origen continued.

    -We should get out of this place, the demons will soon arrive at this mess. Can you give me a hand, soldier? As you can see, I''m lacking one¡­

    The general seemed amused, his soldier however was not. The success of this suicide mission rested on this man alone, the soldier couldn''t simply laugh it off when Origen was this heavily wounded.

    -Now I think I know how you get along with that mercenary, enough to let him wear your armor as a bait.

    The young soldier helped Origen standing up, acting as another hand to replace the one that was lost.

    -I checked the map. We are already in the Magic Department. The chosen location is just nearby. So please, hang in there, general Origen.

    -Right, I''ll be counting on you to help get me there, then¡­

    With the help of the young soldier, Origen walked out of the area¡­leaving a trail of blood behind his track. The wound in his stomach wasn''t as severe as the wound in his arm, but the bleeding was still enough to leave a trail on the ground. Both of them knew this, but they were too pressed for time to reach their destination to do anything about it.

    Eventually, they got into a classroom for magic study. The young soldier let his general lied his back to a wall. He quickly took off Origen''s body armor to tend to the wound on his stomach and patched it up with the cloth from his remaining sleeve. As this point, Origen''s life was no longer in danger, but for him to actually finish the mission with this state¡­the young soldier started to lose faith.

    -Hey, soldier¡­

    With his eyes closed as he lay resting, Origen spoke.

    -Have you ever slept with a girl?

    The soldier fell silent. Certainly he didn''t expect that topic in a middle of life and death situation like this.

    -Err¡­no Sir¡­I got drafted before I can even chase after girls¡­

    Origen suddenly burst out a laugh.

    -Hahahaha! I see¡­what a pity¡­

    After he had calmed down, Origen continued.

    -Do you know that Paladins have to take a vow to remain chaste if they wish to be in service of God?

    -Yes, I have heard about it.

    The soldier answerd. Origen paused before speaking the punchline.

    -You see, soldier¡­the day before I took my vow, I blew every penny I earned as a soldier in booze and brothels. Hahahaha, good times, good times.

    This sudden revelation was certainly shocking for a common soldier like him. The young man didn''t know there existed a side like this in his respected general.

    -I''m surprised the Church didn''t find out about your little secret.

    -Well, to all the bar owners and madams in the world, a would-be Paladin was the last thing they''d expect when a Lutumian crashed their place with a bag of coins. For them, all Lutumian are the same, they just thought I am a mere soldier on a break and blew all of my hard earned cash to sastify my human vices. Such prejudice was why I accepted to become a Paladin in the first place, to try to make a difference.

    -I see.

    The soldier answered. Lutumian was a discriminated race in all across Uestos continent in the East. They were discriminated because of their unnatural origin that gave them their trademark black skin. But, despite being a Lutumian, Origen was one of the most beloved General on this battlefront, if not the most beloved. The whole reason why this siege of Melas could happen was because of the five thousand soldiers who heeded his call for arms. Origen was why they were here, he was why they believed they could make the price of their treachery bear fruits.

    -Well, I surely don''t miss those money. For a Lutumian without any living relatives left, money means shit if I can fill my stomach everyday, which was also one of the reason why I became a Paladin when I got chosen. Haha, I might not have any choice in becoming a soldier, but I had one when I chose to be in the service of God.

    The black man turned to his soldier as he spoke.

    -Back then, the war we had was a war to fend off invaders, it was our duty to be called for the defense of our motherland. But to you younglings, you don''t have a choice in being drafted for a war of invasion. We old men robbed you of your chance for happiness. At your age, you should be chasing skirts and drinking booze, not spending time tending a half-dead old soldier like me. It might be already too late, but I''m sorry for bringing you into this whole mess¡­

    The soldier fell silent. He didn''t know how to react, or how to properly answer his general. It sounded like the words of someone approaching the door of death, but the soldier didn''t want his general to die, he has to live, to complete the mission, and return to his soldiers who were waiting for him. Which was why¡­

    -It''s not your fault, general Origen.

    The soldier replied.

    -We might not had a choice when being drafted for war, but to come here in the heart of the enemy, for the mission to take over Melas castle, that was the choice we soldiers made, because of you, General. We know to abandon our orders from the higher ups was practically treason, but we too wanted to make a difference. We are here to protect our home from the demon threats, not to stand under the snow as mere chess pieces waiting to be played. Which is why we believed in you, Origen, when you called out for us to help your cause.

    The soldier clenched his fists as he continued.

    -This isn''t time for you to feel remorse, General. We still have a mission to do, and our hope to complete it lies on your shoulders, General Origen. And I''ll help you with every power I have. We will see this to the end! I promise you!

    Origen opened his eyes and gazed at the young soldier. He had his iron helmet on, but Origen could already feel the face of a young man with an iron resolve. ''So this is the strength of youth'', thought Origen. He had been way too old to have that kind of strength inside of him, but even with the loss of his arm, he surely wouldn''t let the younglings surprass him, not yet.

    The black man had a fulfilled smile on his face. In the chance that he dies in this battle, if this world still has youths like him, then maybe humanity wasn''t hopeless after all.

    -Soldier, what''s your name?

    Asked Origen. The soldier proudly saluted as he introduces himself.

    -Sir! My full name is Ettore Albero, Sir!

    -Ettore, is it? You would make a very fine general in the future.

    -I''m flattered, sir!

    Origen laughed.

    -Haha, don''t be so formal like that. I don''t like it when people get too formal with me. Anyways, you are right, we still have a mission to do. So I''ll give you an order: Let me rest for a bit, and in the meantime, go get what our informant has in store for us.

    -Yes sir! I''ll check it right away, Sir!

    As the soldier accepted his order, he rushed away from Origen''s side to the far corner of this classroom.

    -Damn kid, I told him not to be formal. Haha¡­

    Origen muttered to himself as he allowed himself the pleasure to have a peace of mind. Meanwhile, the young soldier, Ettore, approached a stone gargoyle inside the classroom. Under its feets was a piece of paper, carefully hidden from sight, but only enough to reveal itself for those who knew it was there. As the soldier acquired the piece of paper, he returned to the side of his general and read the content with the help of the moonlight above.

    -According to this paper, the location we need to go is¡­

 Chapter 38: The harsh acceptance

    ¡¸Melas''s Storage ¨C Around 2 A.M¡¹

    Lapidoth tells me everything, about how I was saved, about how my teacher valiantly stayed behind and fought the enemy general, about how he sacrificed his own self to bring a stop to Origen''s ambition, and about how he failed and died in vain without completing his last wish.

    Lapidoth can only piece the story from bits thanks to the clues left at the scene, but he certainly doesn''t lie about anything when he tells me the whole story. He tells me the truth, the bare, harsh truth. He doesn''t use any grandeur terms like "He did his very best", it''s just a simple "He failed, and Origen lived on.". Just the raw, untampered truth.

    "So he died because he saved me¡­"

    I mutter as I stay comfortably on the ground, living a life paid by the sacrifice of others.

    "Don''t be so conceited and make yourself important, brat."

    Says Lapidoth. I really don''t like this guy.

    "Bjarni didn''t die for you, he died as he tried to stop Origen, but he failed, and it costed him his life. Although by the time he decided to transform to his devil form, he''s already finished either way."

    Lapidoth continues and explains about how you can''t let an ancient devil roam free. Even if Bjarni succeeded and killed Origen, he himself also has to be stopped. An ancient devil is insanity incarnate, it will continue to destroy and destroy until it takes its last breath. I''m sure someone like Bjarni must had known the cost for that forbidden power, but he chose to pay it nonetheless.

    "Would you prefer if I died instead¡­and Bjarni never came to save me?"

    I ask, though I think I already know the answer.

    "Maybe."

    Lapidoth bluntly replies. He certainly doesn''t beat around the bush.

    "Maybe¡­if you died without making a fuss, he wouldn''t have come and get himself killed by Origen. But Origen would roam free uncontested, and probably would succeed in his objective, whatever that was. Yet, who knows, maybe us survivors would find a way to stop it somehow? It''s a mystery how a single ripple in the past can affect so many thing."

    Lapidoth pauses.

    "But no one can change the past."

    Coldy says the man in armor.

    "You got saved instead of him, and he died instead of you. That''s the consequence from everything that happened, all we can do is to accept that it did. You can cry, you can curse, but you can''t change anything, no matter how strong you are. It''s simply the rule of nature¡­Simply what people called ''fate''."

    "¡­"

    He sounds like a different person as he speaks. I don''t really understand and it''s hard to express with words, but it seems like he has a lot of experiences in the matter of life and death. He''s a soldier, a senior active soldier who can brazenly look at death in the face. Yet, he''s still here, alive like me, but more bitter. His presence here certainly doesn''t come without a cost.

    "Lapidoth¡­I''m sorry¡­"

    I apologize to the guy in armor.

    "About what?"

    He coldly answers.

    "About earlier, when I told you I don''t care to throw my life away since you said I am blessed. That was stupid of me. You were right to hit me, I really deserved it¡­"

    This life of mine is still here because someone gave Death his, and not just Bjarni, there were others who fought by my side yet didn''t make it. I wasn''t kept alive just to throw myself away once more. This life isn''t mine alone anymore.

    "So you admit you are stupid?"

    Lapidoth asks.

    "¡­Yes."

    I know that is the truth, but seriously, he doesn''t have to twist the knife further like that.

    "Hmm, if you know at least that much, then maybe that old man didn''t die in vain after all."

    The man resumes his solemn yet cold voice, the normal Lapidoth that I hate.

    "You seem to be rather well at this point. Shall we get to the main point, then?"

    "The main point?"

    What is he talking about? I can only tilt my head in confusion. I thought he''s only here to deliver me the bad news, even if I just recover from a critical condition.

    "I don''t have time to babysit you all the time. Why do you think I keep you by my side up until now?"

    "What¡­?"

    I don''t really know how to answer. I''m too confused to reply, especially after hearing the bad news of Bjarni''s death.

    "I''m here to make you spill out what happened during your brief capture by the humans."

    "Oh¡­that¡­I thought you know about that already"

    So he wants to interrogate me about what happened. I assume he knew already, since he never ask.

    "I''m not omniscient, and I don''t have time to ask when the humans infiltrated the castle. I was waiting for the right time to make you spill it out. Well, let''s cut the chase and get to the point."

    Using his intact left arm, Lapidoth searches through his body and brings out a piece of paper. A map, to be precise. It is stained with a bit of blood. I think I know where that map came from.

    "What did you talk about when you were captured? Was it involve this map?"

    The man starts straight to the point, and I don''t intend to beat around the bush either. He''s a jerk, but this jerk is probably on my side, or rather, the demons'' side. I pledged my loyalty to them by surviving, so a better commitment is the least I can do with this borrowed life.

    "This map was theirs. I was asked by the humans to be their guide, to lead them to some place in the Magic Arts Department, or else they would kill me. And you know the rest."

    The onslaught created by Lapidoth that time is still a vivid memory inside my head, and I''m talking to that very same soldier who coldly killed without remorse. If Bjarni didn''t save me, I would have second thought about commiting to the demons'' cause, mostly because of this guy and what he can do.

    The man gives a pause to think before answering.

    "They have a point, if they didn''t get detected, their mission would go on smoothly, and by the time we found out, it might have been too late to do anything."

    But they didn''t, they got found by me, and later Lapidoth. We knew they were coming, and that led us to our encounter with Origen, which led him to our fight, wounded him and had most of his men killed. But I doubt that would hinder him from completing whatever he wants in this sort of place. Even though it was a brief clash, but from fighting him I just know he is the type of man who will never give up, like my teacher Bjarni.

    "Although¡­the Magic Arts Department? I already told you earlier, didn''t I? A wounded Origen came for refuge in a classroom from that Department, leaving a blood trail behind before he disappeared? I throughoutly inspected the room, there''s no secret places for him to hide, or anything important for him to take."

    "Yes¡­I believe I heard that."

    But that means what I know is meaningless, since my information doesn''t help us discover anything new.

    "However, let''s just think of it from another perspective."

    Says the man. He seems to be awfully calm.

    "They specifically told you they wanted you to lead them to the Magic Arts Department, yes?"

    I nod to confirm what Lapidoth said.

    "Then it''s pretty simple. Even if they trust you, I doubt they would trust you that much to tell you their whole plan in one sitting. Which means getting to the Magic Arts Department isn''t their main objective."

    "So¡­the place they wanted me to guide them to¡­is just a mediate point?"

    It makes a lot of sense if that''s the case.

    "In a way, yes. The map also doesn''t have any special markings to pin point a specific location. We can presume that it''s simply a mediate point, and there was some sort of clue to lead them to the place of their true objective."

    It''s like a detective novel, with the criminal mastermind leaving clues behind for the detective protagonist to find and play his game, or something like that. But let''s leave that aside, if what Lapidoth said is really the truth, then it leads to a whole new terrible perspective¡­

    "Hmm¡­"

    Suddenly, Lapidoth stands up and yells.

    "Hey! Mister Shopkeeper! Can I have a moment of yours?"

    He yells so loud it annoys the other patients. Since the one he called is rather far away, being loud is kinda justified, but that certainly doesn''t make it acceptable in a place full of wounded soldiers.

    "Before I listen to what you have to say, shall I remind you that for all intents and purposes, even a pathetic place as it is, this is still a hospital?"

    The skeleton shop keeper arrives and scolds the soldier. Thankfully, his dreaded pet dog isn''t here with him. He''s having a bag of medicine on his hand, he probably took them from the drug supplies in this storage for use.

    "Does this map ring you any bells?"

    Without any regards to proper hospital etiquette, the man shows the shopkeeper the blood-stained map. The skeleton man picks it up and carefully inspects it.

    "Hmm, it has some differences, probably because it was copied by hand, but this map¡­it''s the same type of castle map that I sell in my shop."

    "¡­That explains it¡­"

    The man in armor coldly responses. He returns and sits on the ground, sighing as he rest his body. Seems like the skeleton man also gets hit by curiosity as he stays and waits for a proper reply from Lapidoth.

    "What does this mean, mister Lapidoth?"

    The shopkeeper asks.

    "It means that there is a ''traitor'' among us¡­"

    A traitor¡­it''s hard to believe, but there are hard evidences of that. It explains why the human has a map of our castle in possession, and why it was copied by hand because it wouldn''t leave a trail behind to stab the traitor in the back.

    "Are you the traitor?"

    Suddenly, Lapidoth turns to my side and asks the unexpected question.

    "No, of course not!"

    "Traitors always deny their treachery."

    The man replies.

    "And do you think non-traitors don''t? What''s wrong with you?"

    He shouldn''t be bullshitting in this kind of time.

    "Of course, you''re not the traitor. You''re too stupid to betray us."

    Yeah, I really really hate this guy. He just make it official.

    "In case you''re doubting me, I''m not the traitor either."

    The skeleton man speaks. Of course, if he''s the traitor, he just has to deny the similarity between his maps and ours.

    "You don''t have to worry about that, I trust people from Annwn."

    Lapidoth replies. Annwn is a strange name for a place, but I think I have heard of it before¡­my memory is still hazy from my wounds, so I don''t know where did I hear of it.

    "For a living person, you sure are trusting of the dead."

    The skeleton man giggles, or rather, rattles¡­.

    "I have always find the dead more trustworthy than the living, they aren''t driven by the vices that breed betrayal like the living does. But that doesn''t matter right now."

    Before he goes too off topic, Lapidoth himself resumes the conversation to the main point.

    "Mr.Shopkeeper. Do you keep records of what your customers bought?"

    Asks Lapidoth.

    "Yes I have, but I already packed it with my own goods. It''s a hassle to bring it out. Beside, I''m afraid it will be futile to trace the traitor this way. The map you have was copied by hand, that means it''s impossible to accurately confirm the exact time the original map was bought. It could have been months, or years. I''m afraid I can''t help you with that."

    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    The shopkeeper has a point. The traitor may have bought a map at one time and copied it at another. They might also didn''t act alone and had accomplies helped them acquire the map. If they were careful enough not to leave a trail, then it''s impossible to reveal their identity from a list of names alone.

    "You''re right. I''m sorry to trouble you."

    Lapidoth seems to have the same thought as I am. Seeing his help is no longer required, the skeleton shopkeeper once again bids his farewell and resumes his work, leaving me behind with Lapidoth¡­again.

    "Let''s put the traitor aside. I think I have a rough idea of what the humans'' true objective is."

    For a demon soldier, Lapidoth sure has the makings of a good detective. I let the man speak without interfering.

    "The humans withheld the information to prevent leaks probably because they were aiming for something big, big enough to turn the tide of battle. I guess that''s why the traitor chose a mediate point to indirectly transfer the information to the humans. It''s also why the owner of one of the Hundred Regalia like Origen participated in this mission himself, risking his life in the process. Now, it''s all clear to me."

    The demon soldier pauses before speaking the punchline. I''m eargerly waiting to know what is the meaning behind all these bloodshed.

    "Origen''s true objective¡­is the destruction of this castle''s core, the source of the magic barrier protecting Melas."

    ---------------------------

    ¡¸Melas''s Chapel ¨C Around 2 A.M¡¹

    -So it was hidden in this place, if what our informant left us is the truth.

    Together with General Origen by his shoulder, the young soldier in armor approaches the castle''s chapel. For some reason, this place is built with see-through glasses as the roof, allowing the moonlight to illuminate the place from darkness. As a paladin, Origen is no stranger to chapels across his homeland, yet for his first time at the chapel of demons, he still finds it strangely familiar. The same seats for believers to sit on, the same fancy altar for priests to begin their sermons, the same solemn atmosphere people can find in chapels everywhere. The only thing different is instead of the statue of an angel, there is a medium-size stone statue of a female devil instead, with dark wings and a blackened heart dripping with blood in her hands. Even if this is a chapel, it still belongs to another God, not the one people of the Heaven Realm worship, but the demons'' instead. A chapel for Anul.

    -According to the information written in the note, the barrier''s core is hidden beneath the altar in the castle''s chapel¡­There has to be some way to open the path without making a mess.

    -Just smash them to bits.

    As the young soldier reads the note written with the human''s language on his hand, his general suddenly replies.

    -But¡­it''s still an altar, sir.

    The young soldier answers. For a Paladin to suggest such a blasphemous action, it''s certainly is a first for him.

    -There''s no use praying in a godless world.

    Origen solemnly replies. Seeing as his general is serious with his intent to destroy the altar, the young soldier can do naught but to obey. By this point, Origen has already recovered enough to stand with his own legs, which allows the unwounded young soldier the freedom to complete the task bestowed upon him.

    Using the strength of youth, the soldier pushes the altar away. It''s not very big, merely the size of a medium wardrobe and poses no problem for a trained soldier. But by moving it away, everything placed on it start dropping like flies. The decorations, the talismans, and the statue of the dark devil. They fall to the ground and shatter to bits. Even if it''s for worshipping a dark god, the young soldier can''t shake the uneasiness off his mind from the act of desecrating a holy house.

    But by this point, that is irrelevant. From beneath the previous altar, there is a secret pathway that leads to the underground. Beyond this point lies the barrier''s core, the last protection this castle can afford to defend itself.

    -We found it, General.

    Says the soldier.

    -Good work, soldier. Let us go.

    The wounded general and the young soldier descend to the underground through the pathway. The road soon leads them to a large and round shaped room. No light from above can reach this place, but the first thing giving them a welcome isn''t the darkness of the night. Lie between every walls are small crystals imbued with light to brighten the room. However, they are merely decorations for the biggest source of light which originates from the center of this room.

    In the middle of this secret room is a huge floating white crystal. Its light is as bright as the moon. The humans can see there is some sort of object hidden inside the big crystal, but they can''t make clear of what it is from their current location.

    -This crystal is the barrier''s core. By destroying it, the castle''s barrier will vanish, and victory will be ours.

    The black paladin speaks.

    -We did it, General! Let us destroy it!

    -No, wait!

    The wounded man is too slow to stop the energetic young soldier from letting his enthusiasm control himself. By the time he sets his foot on to the inner side, a red light suddenly glows from the ground below. A magic circle starts forming itself, but by the time it is completed, the soldier is quick enough on his feet to return to his original position.

    -That was lucky¡­However, I suddenly feel very weak, general Origen.

    -Hmm¡­

    Origen seems to have caught on to something. As a test, the black man holds his remaining arm toward the empty space in front of him, just above the red magic circle glowing inside the room. For a moment, nothing happens, until tiny trails of red light flow away from his arm like a pack of fireflies. At this point, Origen has already figured out what is it.

    -It''s an Image Magic that slowly drains the life force of every living being inside of it. On top of that¡­

    The one armed man suddenly throws his shield like a boomerang, aiming at the huge crystal in the center of the room. But, before it can make contact with the crystal inside, its path is obstructed by another layer of invisible barrier protecting the core crystal. The shield bounces back to Origen''s arm once again after failing to do its job.

    -There''s still the barrier protecting the core¡­which can only be forcibly broken through the physical force of a divine-class weapon.

    Origen seems troubled, and so does his soldier.

    -The informant did mention another protecting barrier, but there isn''t anything about the life drain magic¡­Damn them!

    -Seems like our informant weren''t as good at erasing their trails as we thought. The life drain magic circle is something that was added just recently, a fail-safe mechanic to fend off intruders. We underestimated that witch Nilrem¡­

    Even though he is rightfully pissed, there''s still a smile of admiration on his lips for his adversary. It just proves that whatever he sacrificed to get here was worth it. The demons must not be allowed to grow strong, lest one day the Heaven Realm be consumed by their lust of power.

    -Soldier¡­no¡­Ettore¡­Listen carefully¡­

    The soldier named Ettore can hear the words of his general, but he doesn''t reply. The way Origen speak makes him feel unease and anxious, like the words of a dead man preparing to part way with the world.

    -It will take longer that what I planned, and I will be a bit vulnerable in the process, so¡­Ettore, this is my last order to you: Guard me with your life, don''t let anyone interfere as I destroy the barrier''s core!

    -General Origen!

    Without waiting for a proper reply, the black man brazenly walks forward to the land of death. Before long, the light of his life force starts to flow away from him. The beauty of these life force fireflies under the crystals'' white light makes this a beautiful yet strangely eerie scenery. Before being a priest, Origen was a soldier. Among soldiers, there is a an old saying that goes in the line of: ''The definition of beauty lies in the border of death''. Only when approaching the end of his life can Origen understand what it truly means, rather than thinking it was a fancy saying made by romantic drunkards.

    It''s not about the beginning, it''s about the end.

    -You''ll die, general! You won''t make it!

    Ettore desperately shouts.

    -I am Origen! The Black Paladin of Luminis! Guardian of Mankind and Banisher of Demons! I wield the holy shield Evalach! As long as there is life in my breath, I will not yield to anything!

    The black man repeatedly slams his shield at the outer barrier as he yells his battle cry. A small dent appears on the invisible barrier, but it automatically repairs itself if left unchecked long enough, which is denied by Origen''s barrages of attack. This is a battle of endurance, whoever or whatever is exhausted first will lose. A battle between a half-dead man and an advanced barrier protecting the only thing that keeps the humans at bay.

    -If you call yourself a soldier of Metallum, then fulfill your duty! As I will fulfill mine!

    The soldier stands there looking stunned. He firmly holds his sword, not because he has his resolve in his grasp, but for his inability to do anything to save his general. The only thing he can do right now is to fulfill the order given to him. He knows it, but it''s hard for him to accept this as his final order from Origen.

    -I will¡­General! I will fulfill my duty, even if it cost me my life!

    The soldier turns his back to the man inside and runs to the chapel above, leaving the man behind to fend for himself as his life slowly fades away. But he does not grief, there''s a smile on his lips.

    -Well, one thing left¡­to do!

    The long night continues.

    ----------------------

    ¡¸Forest Outskirt ¨C Around 2 A.M¡¹

    Far away from the siege of Melas, but not far enough to be counted as away from the battlefield. In the center of the dead forest that populates this land, there is a group of men in robes, sitting outside of a glowing circle on the ground with their mouth chanting words of yore. There are a few fellow robed men outside standing near their wagons, and some armored soldiers tasked with the protection of these men, but the focus is ultimately at the big magic circle these men are maintaining.

    -Aggh!

    Suddenly, one of the men bursts out blood from his mouth in the middle of chanting. He seems to be alive, but not enough to cry out for help.

    -Someone replace that guy! He''s exhausted!

    A robed man shouts. The light radiated by the large magic circle briefly fades until he resumes his part of the chant and the exhausted man gets carried away by two soldiers, his job replaced by another robed man.

    -Chief Summoner! If this keeps going on, we will all die before the summoning ritual is completed!

    -Shut your trap and keep chanting! General Origen is betting his life to destroy the barrier. We must do our part and finish the ritual by the time he''s done!

    The one summoner in charge shouts.

    -If we can summon an ¡¸Archtree Ent¡¹ by the time the barrier is destroyed, victory will be ours! Our sacrifices will not be in vain! Keep going, fellow summoners! History will remember us and the deeds we''ll accomplish! The demons shall know the might of the Heaven Realm!

    The ritual keeps going on, waiting to be completed when the fated time arrives.

 Chapter 39: The unknown desire

    "Deborah!"

    Nilrem''s voice brought me back from being lost inside my thoughts. I thought to myself such wake up call was necessary.

    "Yes¡­Headmaster..."

    "Did you remember anything?"

    The witch wearing gray robe asked.

    "No¡­unfortunately¡­"

    I told her the truth, which was replied with a sigh from Nilrem. The woman seemed understandably tired, since her effort was wasted on someone who couldn''t regain any clue of her own past.

    "A week has passed since then, if you really can''t recall anything then maybe it is truly hopeless. I even took the effort to show you the grave of Dargoth¡­"

    Just like what she said, we were currently standing at the highest place of Melas castle, before the final resting place of Great Demon King Dargoth¡­and my supposedly grandfather.

    "And I thought it would make a spark in your memory if I lead you to his grave. Seems like my theory was wrong after all. Only time may tell if you can remember anything."

    Maybe she was right. Only a week had passed ever since my awakening. Maybe I was too hasty in finding a way to recover my past. If I kept forcing it like this, I wouldn''t be able to gain anything meaningful.

    The snow was falling. It was already the beginning of Winter, yet I could barely feel the cold from the snowdrops. Was it because of me being trapped inside that ice for God knows how long? Or was it because of something else? Either way, it was unnatural, my whole existence was unnatural, and I couldn''t even know what was wrong with myself to make me feel better¡­

    This place was at the topmost of the castle, a flat roof remodeled to become my grandfather''s tomb. In the center of this bland and lifeless roof lied Dargoth''s grave. Yet, it didn''t look anything like a proper grave: it was a big slab of stone with a line of letters carved on it, more like a memorial than a grave for the deceased. The content carved on the stone was rather short and ambiguous:

    To Dargoth Draconis.

    In memory of your sacrifice to the world.

    I touched my hand onto his grave. I felt nothing but the stone''s hard surface. No sudden spark of emotion or memory. If he was truly my grandfather, then I must have some memories of him hidden inside my heart. That was what I thought, but it turned out to be a false hope. I couldn''t recall nor feel anything toward my grandfather. Was it because he died before I was even born? Or because of something else?

    The witch Nilrem did tell me some information about myself, but only what she deemed enough. I only knew my name, Deborah Draconis, and my relation with someone the demons called the Great Demon King Dargoth, my grandfather. Everything was still shrouded in a mystery I was unable to solve, no matter how hard I tried.

    "We should return, Deborah."

    I accepted Nilrem''s plea, and returned inside the castle, leaving the memorial tomb alone on the roof under the heavy snow. It was sad, not because I didn''t remember my feelings toward my grandfather, but rather because his final resting place was so lonely without anyone by his side, there was only Dargoth''s remains here. Death was still an unfamiliar concept to me. I didn''t know what is beyond the reach of our mortal vessel. What would his spirit feel if he knew his resting place was like this, I wondered?

    "Why didn''t you tell me more about myself, Headmaster?"

    I asked as we walked down the lonely stairways.

    "Even if I did, would you accept what I said as the truth? You could barely accept your own name, considering the doubt you have."

    The woman replied without batting an eye to my side.

    "It''s natural for me to have doubt."

    I answered. I just wanted a way to fill this emptiness in my heart.

    "You have too much doubt for someone who were recently awoken from her slumber."

    I got what she tried to say. I was being too impatient, like a child making a fuss for the thing they want. Yet¡­

    "Beside, it''s not like I don''t have doubt of my own¡­"

    The Headmaster stopped her feet for a moment before quickly resuming her track.

    "Nevermind¡­forget what I said¡­"

    I felt like saying something, but didn''t. I kept following her around, either because I had no other things to do, or because I just wanted something else out of the ordinary to happen. My first week after the awakening was spent rehabilitating myself back to health. I mostly stayed indoor, with only books containing knowledge of this world provided by the Headmaster to help me kill time. My domain just changed from some sort of dungeon to a lonely room, it wasn''t too different from before. But¡­

    ¡­today was my first time to be allowed outside. I still desired to see more, to know more, about this world I found myself in, about the people inhabiting it. Maybe I would find something that I wanted. I didn''t know, but maybe my true calling didn''t lie in remembering the past, but to search for it in the future awaiting me, perhaps¡­

    "Hmm¡­So it''s that time already, heh? In a blink and it''s already here."

    Nilrem''s sudden stop and monologue put me to a halt. From this part of the hallway, we could see the castle''s courtyard, which was packed with people wearing black cloaks. They were mostly youths and varied in races.

    "Who are they?"

    I asked the witch.

    "My beloved students, Deborah. I think I haven''t told you this yet, but this place, Dargoth''s castle, is currently being used as Melas Military Academy. The students come here to train on how to fight better."

    "Why would they want to do that?"

    Why would people desire to learn how to fight? Why actively seeking to harm others? I didn''t understand. Wasn''t it better if nobody fight? If no one fights, then no one will get hurt, that was what I thought.

    "To uphold Dargoth''s legacy, Deborah my dear."

    The witch answered.

    "Dargoth picked this castle in the middle of nowhere, far from demon civilization, just to attract the attention of the Heaven Realm''s heroes away from his subjects. Alone, without any army by his side, he stood firm in this place as the Realm''s protector til his ultimate death."

    I had read about this in one of the books Nilrem sent me. His death was caused by someone named Erdrick, the Savior. For all his strength and power, death still came for him and took him away from this world. But, for some reason, thousand years later, they still praised his name like he was here just yesterday. I didn''t understand¡­

    "As educators, we aim to keep Dargoth''s will alive among these youths. These are dark times, Deborah. The humans loom at our door, waiting for a chance to strike. I''m afraid that eventually they will march their forces to this castle, aiming to take it down and conquer everything past this place on the map¡­"

    The humans¡­I saw the pictures in the books. For some reason, they looked rather similar like me and Nilrem. Was I a human? My appearance suggested so, but something inside me told me I''m different from them. About Nilrem, I thought it was because of the origin of her race, the Witches and Warlocks, being traitors who severed their blood bond in search of dark knowledge of the demons. But about myself¡­I really didn''t know. Maybe it had something to do with why was I being kept inside that ice block.

    "Which is why¡­we must be ready when that time arrives. I didn''t live this long just to see this castle fall again¡­"

    "If defending this place is so important¡­then why are they leaving?"

    From the farthest of the courtyard where the gate lied came carriages attached to the back of some sort of big, fluffy wolves. Every time a carriage came inside the courtyard, several students took their luggages and boarded the carriage. It didn''t seem like they would come back to this castle tomorrow and the day after that.

    "Oh silly you. They''re departing for their home. It''s New Year, a holiday. Do you know what a holiday is?"

    "I think¡­I don''t¡­"

    The witch in grey laughed, which only made me feel embarrassed like a baby who said foolish things to her mother.

    "It''s a special occasion for families to gather around. It''s¡­objectively nothing special, they just come home to see each other, enjoy good food, having good wine, getting good sleep. Just like your everyday activities ¡­"

    Nilrem suddenly smiled.

    "Yet somehow, even if it''s just the ordinary things you do, the occasion itself makes them special. The old year ends, and a new one arrives. It will be your first time of the year to see your family, your first time of the year to enjoy good food, your first time of the year to drink the wine you prepared, and of course, your first chance to sleep in before getting yourself back to work. Funny thing holiday is."

    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    The woman seemed to enjoy herself, but soon Nilrem reminded herself she''s still the Headmaster and sternly continued the conversation.

    "They aren''t here to learn fighting for fighting;s sake, Deborah. They are here to learn how to protect their home, their friends, their loved one. The New Year is a rare occasion for them to remind themselves what are they learning and fighting for. An acceptable break from their duty."

    "I see¡­"

    I blandly replied. It was not like I didn''t understand, but it was still hard for me to comprehend everything she said. Home, friends, family¡­I didn''t know any of those things¡­

    "They are smiling¡­"

    "Like I said, it''s New Year. They are happy, Deborah. They are on their way to come back home to their loved ones."

    Home¡­Happiness¡­

    "Where is my home, I wonder¡­?"

    My question put the woman in gray in silence. Nilrem only replied a minute later.

    "I would say that this place is your home¡­but I don''t think you''ll accept it just yet."

    Nilrem turned to my direction and stared at me in the eyes. She was serious in this conversation.

    "I see. So I am alone this world after all¡­"

    I no longer have any family, any home, any friends, any loved one¡­Then why was I here? For what purpose? Why was I released from that ice block inside that dungeon? Why? Why¡­? Once again, I asked questions, but no one would grant me the answers that I want¡­

    "Should that really be the case, I wonder?"

    Nilrem spoke.

    "Would you let your past haunt you forever, Deborah? I ask of you, what is it you really want?"

    What I really¡­wanted?

    "I am your ally, Deborah, but I can''t help you if I don''t know what is it you truly want? Is it answers for the past? Or guidance for the future? I can help you with the later, but not the former. Your desire will define yourself. Give me a reason why you should be here, away from your prison."

    A reason¡­I¡­

    There was only thing that I truly desired.

    "I just want¡­to be happy."

    ----------------------

    ¡¸East Ward ¨C Around 3 A.M¡¹

    The girl suddenly wakes up from a brief nap. She looks dazed, but for good reason.

    Deborah never think she would doze off in the middle of guard duty. As a Dragon, she always has energy to spare, but to think she would suddenly feel tired and weak to the point of falling asleep¡­This is the first time Deborah experienced something like this.

    ''That dream¡­why was I having a dream like that?''

    Out of all things she can have dreams about, why did it have to be what happened a year earlier? Why something so specific like that? Deborah keeps asking herself, but soon she gives up knowing she doesn''t have the answers for everything she asks.

    ''Maybe it''s because of the seal''s removal¡­''

    Either way, the red-haired girl can''t keep lying on the cold castle wall for a nap forever. She stands up and feels the breeze of the night''s wind flowing through her hair, bringing along with it the smell of the dead. On a part of the castle wall nearby, there lies a line made up from bodies of fallen soldiers from both sides, almost all of them died by her hands. The least she could do as the victor was to help gather and arrange their bodies until this siege end, so that they can be quickly recognized by their comrades. Demon soldiers, skeleton soldiers, human soldiers, including the faux general Gust. Everyone who died in this ward are already here, but Deborah knows these numbers are just a very small part of a greater tragedy befalling this whole place. Men kill men, men make more men to kill more men. A neverending cycle¡­

    ''Why did it have to be this way¡­?''

    Deborah starts to reminiscent to the time where things were still simple from the perspective of someone like her. Even though it was not all fun and rainbow, Deborah still considers the one year experience she had prior as precious. Not even once did she think it would lead her to this kind situation.

    No matter how many times she washes her hands and changes her clothes, the blood she spilled today will forever leave a stain on her body. She is now truly a part of this world full of killers and bloodshed.

    ''It''s already too late for me¡­''

    Seeing it won''t help her getting better, Deborah stops brooding and resumes her watch. All the demon and skeleton soldiers are dead, only she remains to stand guard in the whole east ward. Even though this place isn''t a top priority target for the humans, it''s still a strategic position that requires protection. Deborah just hopes her presence and the terror she brought to the humans today are enough to make them stay away from this place.

    ''The noises¡­they stopped.''

    As Deborah patrols the castle wall, she notices the eerie silence from the west wards. Before she dozed off, Deborah still remembered the noises from the night attack by the humans at the west side. The silence indicates that either the humans are defeated, or both sides are truly exhausted at this point of the siege. Either way, maybe Deborah will finally have the brief peace she desires after all.

    Deborah continues walking along the castle walls. Only the wind, the moon and the night keep her company. She stays silent, but also keeps herself from having too many complicated thoughts. Right now, she has a mission to do, and the girl intends to fulfill it without any distraction.

    But¡­

    ''I wonder how he''s doing¡­''

    Deborah can''t help but worry for her familiar. They parted way not on good term and found themselves separated by a war they didn''t see coming. Even so, the brief time she spent with him is enough for her to at least concern for his welfare, considering he''s the gungho type who will get himself in dangerous situations just because death doesn''t scare him. When Deborah thinks about it like that, the more she becomes worried, since Akuma will do exactly that without her keeping him in check.

    But¡­she can''t do anything right now. She has her own mission, and he maybe has his. They are on their own for the moment. If he doesn''t do anything foolish, maybe they''ll meet again and Deborah will have the chance to berate him for their conversation before this war. There''s no way she''ll let him get off scot-free like that!

    "Haha¡­"

    Suddenly, Deborah smiles. She herself doesn''t know why, but it proves to be an effective distraction from the bloodshed around her. Either way, she feels a bit better, enough for her to gain the strength to go on to fight and protect this place.

    More time passes, and finally Deborah returns to her original position prior to her patrol duty. There seem to be no noticeable problems regarding the walls in the east ward. Deborah can afford to relax for a bit, but ultimately she still has to remain vigilant as a guard.

    ''I feel weird¡­''

    What Deborah is feeling right now is similar to fatigue¡­and hunger. This is the first time Deborah experiences the feeling known as "hunger". As a Dragon, Deborah directly absorbs energy from the earth to operate, so she has no need for food consumption to sustain her mortal body. Dragons eat for the pleasure of eating itself, but there are hardly any noteworthy cuisines in the land of demons to sastify the appetite of these gourmets. Deborah only eats when she feels like eating, but nevertheless, she never know that "hunger" does exist inside of her.

    ''Is it another effect from the removal of the seal? But it''s only the first layer¡­''

    Suddenly, a smell passes through her nose, in a similar vein to a child coming home for dinner, being led by the smell of food in the kitchen. But there is no kitchen in this cold castle wall, nor a loving mother to cook food for her. The only thing that keeps Deborah company are the corpses of the fallen soldiers. Yet, terrifying so, the smell that passes through Deborah is the smell of blood from the fallen corpses, even though they are supposedly dried as of now.

    But¡­for some reason, it''s still so strangely alluring to the mind of Deborah. Her eyes suddenly redden, her nails grow into claw and her teeth sharpen into fangs. But Deborah successfully restraints herself before she lets her body control her mind. The claws from her hands are sunk deep into her palm from her own impulse. Blood flows from her wound, but the pain reminds her of who she is. Her eyes return to normal, and so are her nails and teeth.

    She falls to her knee, almost on the verge of crying, but she doesn''t cry, Deborah is more angry than sad.

    ''I will not let myself stoop that low¡­!''

 Chapter 40: The light before dawn

    ¡°Well, I guess we¡¯re out of things to talk about. Time to get back to work.¡±

    As sudden as how he came to my side and started a serious talk, Lapidoth stands up, stretches his unharmed arm to relieve his stress as he announces his intention to go away.

    ¡°You¡¯re leaving?¡±

    I ask as I stay immobile on my makeshift bed.

    ¡°You want me to warm your bed for the night? Your kindness makes me want to puke.¡±

    The man replies, which of course only helps to annoy me further.

    ¡°Of course not! I¡¯m just wondering why you keep pushing yourself even when you were also wounded by Origen.¡±

    There¡¯s no way his injuries would stop with a mere broken arm, I saw him vomiting blood after he took Origen¡¯s attack. There¡¯s still some trace of blood left in the mouth of his helmet. Yet, he still insists on doing his own things. In a sense, that stubbornness of his isn¡¯t too different from mine, yet he dared to lecture me on that¡­

    ¡°Unlike you brats, us adults still have a job to do. It doesn¡¯t matter if I lose an arm or a leg, if I have a mission, I must finish it. That¡¯s what duty is.¡±

    Lapidoth strikes his healthy arm onto his chest armor as if to demonstrate his determination. While he may look ¡°smart¡±, he too seems to be a fool of his own unique brand different than mine.

    ¡°I¡¯m not heading away to die. In case you¡¯re wondering.¡±

    Lapidoth suddenly replies. I can hear a silent chuckle from beneath his helmet, as if he finds my concern amusing.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to Headmaster Nilrem¡¯s place. If it concerns the barrier¡¯s core, then I must report this to her at once. She¡¯s the one in charge of it in the first place.¡±

    That¡­makes sense. Find the core, find Origen. Lapidoth can also ask the Headmaster for reinforcements to deal with the intruders. I doubt Nilrem will do anything to obstruct the removal of Origen¡¯s ambition, unless she¡¯s still as unpredictable as always. A sound enough plan.

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    I reply. I shouldn¡¯t bother him any longer. However, there¡¯s still one unanswered question left that won¡¯t stop lingering in my heart, and only him can provide it.

    ¡°Before you leave, can I ask you a personal question?¡±

    ¡°Depends on how personal. Make it quick.¡±

    He seems understandably annoyed.

    ¡°You¡­are acquainted with teacher Bjarni, aren¡¯t you? I just know you for a day, but the way you talked about him doesn¡¯t make him a stranger in your eyes.¡±

    Was it why Bjarni entrusted him to save me from the brink of death? Was is why he was the one to come here and delivered me the news of my teacher¡¯s death? This isn¡¯t something important in the grand scale of things, but I want to satisfy this curiosity of mine. Maybe their relationship will shred some truth from the enigma that accompanied me since the start of this war, maybe that is what I truly want to know.

    ¡°Geez. Of all the time, you pick right when I¡¯m starting to leave.¡±

    He seems annoyed, but doesn¡¯t show any signs that he¡¯ll refuse my request.

    ¡°We¡¯re not friends for a start, though we aren¡¯t familiar enough to be called acquaintances. The only reason why we even know each other was through his daughter. A junior young soldier, desperately wanted to prove herself strong enough to protect her hot-headed father who¡¯s always away from home. A headstrong woman, very much alike to her brute of a father, haha.¡±

    Lapidoth silently laughs as he continue telling his story.

    ¡°You see, she and I were assigned under a team on the frontline. I¡¯m her senior, so it¡¯s naturally I have to look out to my juniors like her. She¡¯s strong, but a bit brash and hot-headed like Bjarni with an equally foul mouth. I was mostly there to keep her in check. Our relationship was good, but nothing special, I think. Then, one day, Bjarni showed up when he was tasked to survey the frontline. Naturally, he came to visit his daughter. She introduced me to the guy, and of course I introduced myself, would be rude if I didn¡¯t. And suddenly, he patted me on the shoulder and brazenly said ¡°I approve of you. Marry my daughter. I allow it, maggot!¡±¡±

    ¡°What!?¡±

    I almost shout out loud from the sudden surprise. Sure, I don¡¯t know Bjarni for a long time either, but for him to just pat a guy¡¯s shoulder and tell him to marry his own daughter is still a bit too much for me to stomach¡­Though come to think of it, if he really trust this guy that much, then for him to act like that wasn¡¯t very out of character for a straightforward guy like Bjarni.

    ¡°So¡­did you accept?¡±

    Men struggle to get married back in my place, and this guy got offered one like a meal put on a silver plate.

    ¡°Do I look like a married man to you?¡±

    Lapidoth chuckles as he replies. Of course, he just had to refuse such an offer. What did I expect? Though, Bjarni¡¯s daughter¡­I don¡¯t want to imagine her as Bjarni with a dress.

    ¡°I turned down the offer, though his daughter put even more effort than me to turn down her father¡¯s proposal. It was a rather amusing sight back then. We didn¡¯t meet much afterward, but when there was a chance, he always came to me and asked about things on the frontline and about his daughter¡¯s life. I guess he trusted me because his daughter trusted me, enough to entrust me with this, I think.¡±

    Lapidoth reaches his hand to the inner part of his armor and takes out a piece of paper. It is neatly folded, despite the battles Lapidoth fought up until now.

    ¡°What is that piece of paper?¡±

    I ask.

    ¡°A letter, hastily written by Bjarni for his daughter.¡±

    A letter¡­but that¡¯s¡­

    ¡°He wrote this yesterday, back when we were still in the middle of preparing for this siege. The man couldn¡¯t even find a proper envelope nor a trusty mail officer for delivering. Then I bumped into him. He certainly didn¡¯t look forward to die, but even so, the man had his own anxiety of things to come. He was afraid he couldn¡¯t make the delivery himself, and I was his remaining hope. And you know the rest.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    I fall silent. I shouldn¡¯t have asked. It¡¯s too painful just to listen to his story. Bjarni was an old man, but life still had many things in store for him. I¡¯m sure he would like to teach us maggots many things, and watch his daughter in a wedding dress, and of course, having fun with his future grandkids. But that won¡¯t happen, he¡¯s gone, thanks to this war and my foolishness¡­

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Lapidoth silently puts the letter back inside his armor, the safest place that he knows.

    ¡°I will deliver this letter without fail to honor his wish. Which is why I must go right now, before all is lost thanks to the effort of a stubborn paladin. But, there¡¯s still a tiny random titbit that I feel like telling. Before I received the letter, I asked the man ¡°Why a letter?¡±. The man answered with a warm smile on his face as he replied ¡°An advice from a stupid student of mine¡±.¡±

    That¡¯s¡­

    ¡°He had a lot of stupid students, I think. But whoever they are, I just want to thank them for giving him a bit of hope. That¡¯s all I have to say.¡±

    Silently, Lapidoth finally leaves the place to embark on his mission, to complete his duty, to fulfill Bjarni¡¯s wish. And so, I continue to remain here, under a warm sheet, lying and resting comfortably in the middle of a war. I find myself weeping a little. A small drop of tear flows from my eyes, not enough to be called crying, but it¡¯s almost there.

    I can¡¯t remember the last time I cried. I don¡¯t want to look weak, so I never cry. No matter the hardship I endured, I didn¡¯t cry, not even once. I always tell myself that I can do this, I can get through this no matter what it is, so that I won¡¯t cry. It eventually goes on long enough to the point I think I can no longer shed any tears.

    Yet why now? Why can¡¯t I hold all these tears flowing from my eyes, even though I don¡¯t want to cry?

    Maybe just this one occasion. Just this one time only. Just put my face under a pillow and be done with it.

    That¡¯s what I do before I tire myself to sleep.

    ¡­

    By the time I wake up, my body feels lighter. My wounds seem to have miraculously closed. I get out of my comfy makeshift bed with no difficulty, as if the mortal wound I suffered was but a fleeting dream.

    Silence and darkness engulf the entire makeshift hospital. The candles are no longer lit. The groaning of pain is replaced by the snoring of tired soldiers and wounded men. Not just in the place either, the war outside seems to have stopped, even for a brief moment. The calm before the storm, I guess.

    I wonder if silence is the thing waking me up from my sleep. Either way, I¡¯m awake now, I can¡¯t just lie down the bed and pretend everything that happened up until this point never existed.

    ¡°There we go¡­¡±

    I stand up after neatly folding my bed sheet, something I was taught as a proper gentleman. My body still aches a little, but that is irrelevant as I¡¯m almost at my full strength, though that doesn¡¯t matter much. The next question is: What should I do next? I¡¯m nearly recovered, but what good can I be when I can¡¯t do anything to change our fate?

    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    Either way, I can¡¯t just stay here and stand idly. Aside from the clothes on my body, I don¡¯t have anything else in my disposal. The least I should do right now is to reclaim my own equipment.

    I don¡¯t see any working nurses or doctors. They seem to be resting elswhere. The lack of shift workers seem to indicate their own lack of manpower to properly treat the wounded. But with how soundly the wounded soldiers are sleeping, I guess they have earned their well-deserved rest. Which is why it¡¯ll be rude to wake one of them up and ask about my stuff.

    I guess there¡¯s only one person I can rely on, so I take my steps and search for him, only to quickly find him sitting idly near the entrance, playing a game of something similar to my world¡¯s chess by himself, with his dreadful dog sleeping near his bonely legs.

    ¡°Oh, you are awake. Mister Akuma.¡±

    Says the skeleton shopkeeper as I approach him. That however doesn¡¯t distract him from having an intense chess game with himself. As always, I don¡¯t see his jawbone moving, yet somehow I can still hear his ¡°voice¡± speaking to me.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you have recovered. But your recovery rate still confuses me. A normal man should still be on his death bed if he suffered the same wound as yours. But here you are, wandering the place, as healthy as ever. Perhaps that has something to do with being Lady Deborah¡¯s familiar.¡±

    He sure is well-informed. Though with how notorious I tried to be lately, I guess me being Deborah¡¯s familiar is common knowledge as of now.

    ¡°Maybe. I don¡¯t know either.¡±

    But that¡¯s probably the most accurate assumption I can make. I know I am a normal human, no matter what I tried to say otherwise. The only explanation is because of Deborah and my link to the girl.

    ¡°Anyway, you don¡¯t feel sleepy, Mister Shopkeeper?¡±

    I ask as a way to open a new conversation.

    ¡°Sleep is for the living. The dead need no sleep, only eternal rest. But I don¡¯t feel like resting just yet. Haha. My bones are still moving, after all.¡±

    The skeleton man calmly laughs as he pat the head of his sleeping dog. I guess the dead have their own way of doing thing.

    ¡°I see. Then maybe you can help me. I¡¯m searching for my equipment. Do you have any idea where they are?¡±

    ¡°Oh, about that. We gave your items to the one who brought you here, Mister Lapidoth. This storage is already packed with food, medicine and wounded people. He said he took your items to a classroom on the upper floor of this building.¡±

    ¡°Which classroom, if I may ask?¡±

    I reply.

    ¡°He didn¡¯t say which, I¡¯m afraid.¡±

    Of course he didn¡¯t. What did I expect?

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid you have to search for it by yourself. I still need to stay here and keep watch on things.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Thank you anyway.¡±

    I nod and walk away, leaving the skeleton man to continue his game of chess.

    I try to think of this situation as a chance to regain the feel of my body. Even if I can be qualified as healthy as of now, it¡¯s not like I can completely function like normal within minutes after recovering. I can walk, but if I run I may find myself off balance and stumble on to the ground. ¡®Just take it easy¡¯, I tell myself. Unlike me, my equipment can¡¯t grow legs and run away by themselves, but who I am to judge in a world with magic?

    I take my steps through the stair and get myself on the upper floor. There are many rooms available, but there are only four qualified as classrooms, one of which is the place used by my alchemy class. The other are vacant rooms used as placeholders, but there is one that serves as a practical training room for alchemy students, equipped with a very big cauldron to boot for large quantity potion making, but that is irrelevant.

    Either way, just to be sure, I need to check all four classrooms. ¡®This certainly will take sometimes¡¯¡­is my thought before I open the door of the first classroom.

    The first classroom is packed with people, wounded people. All the chairs and desks had been thrown aside to the corner of the class in order to make space for those who need them. It¡¯s another makeshift hospital, but on a smaller scale. Nothing too different than the hospital below, with the same sleeping wounded men, and their resting caretakers. The next classroom is the same, almost identical to the one prior to it. I guess even that huge storage isn¡¯t enough for the wounded.

    The last however is something else. There are the same cleared up chairs and desks, also with people sleeping inside, but they are neither alive nor simply resting, all of them have their face covered by a white sheet, with no one here to take care of them. They are the ones who didn¡¯t make it through the night, and succumbed to their wounds, but with how the living are struggling to keep the wounded alive, the best they could do for the dead is to let them rest here for the time being.

    I guess these guys are still luckier than most. I doubt even the guys fighting outside have the luxury to properly arrange the dead like this.

    Either way, I can¡¯t find my items in all three classrooms. It will be rude to intrude the sleeping place of the living and dead, and I doubt that Lapidoth was enough of a jerk to do just that. That leaves the final classroom, my own classroom.

    When I slide the door to get inside, all I can see is a mess of a classroom. The spare chairs and desks that can¡¯t be contained in the other classrooms had been tossed into this place, along with every other useless stuff that got in the way. And inside of those mess lies a single wooden box conveniently placed on a desk near the corner of the room. My desk and Kardia¡¯s, to be exact. And surprise surprise, all the items I brought with me before I was wounded are all here, untouched and untampered. My gun, my drugs, my makeshift grenades, my smoke bombs, and my sole remaining RG bomb. All of them are covered by a piece of cloth, which is the cloak Kardia made for me. It can still be worn, but parts of it were torn by Origen¡¯s shield, on the chest in particular. I immediately try it once again, and not counting the fashionability of wearing a tattered cloak, this cloak is still fine as it is, for the time being. I guess that¡¯s all of it.

    Still, to think that he would put my stuff here¡­I guess that¡¯s the best course of action after all. It¡¯s not like I need these so badly that they must be by my side all the time. And if someone let their curiosity take the better of them, considering I have a literal bomb in my stuff, ¡°troublesome¡± won¡¯t be a strong enough word to describe what may happen in a place full of wounded soldiers.

    But, no time for chit chat with myself, come back to papa, my creations!

    After a bit while, I finally finish arming myself, though there¡¯s not much left enough for me to say I am well-equipped. I have only four magazines left to use, counting the one currently inside my gun. Maybe four are already enough, but who can predict the future? I certainly can¡¯t, I didn¡¯t predict my failure when facing Origen either. I was a foolish boy who thought with guts I can make recklessness become courage, and look at what it costed me?

    ¡°Never again¡­¡±

    I mutter to myself. I don¡¯t know how strong my resolve actually is, but I¡¯m sure as hell will make it stronger than iron.

    Without hesitant, I walk out of the classroom and think about the steps I should take afterward.

    But I don¡¯t have to think for long.

    ¡°What¡¯s this¡­smell?¡±

    As I stroll the hallway, a strange smell passes by my nose. A burnt smell¡­accompanied by a thick trail of dark smoke coming from the stairs.

    ¡°No no no no no!¡±

    I rush down the stairs as fast as my feet can allow, yet somehow the feeling inside my heart want to drag them down from running to that place. Maybe because my head can¡¯t imagine what¡¯s happening down there¡­No, it will be truer to say I can already imagine what¡¯s happening there¡­my heart just don¡¯t want to believe it.

    But I can¡¯t avert my eyes from the truth before me.

    In the lower floor, there is a light shining through the dark smoke as if dawn has arrived, but that light isn¡¯t radiant like the morning sun. It is fiery like fire, as its true form is a huge flame engulfing the whole makeshift hospital. The flame is like a fire dragon consuming everything in its path, leaving nothing behind, no screams, no running man on fire, nothing.

    And I can¡¯t do nothing but stand on my knees and watch in despair as the huge flame burns away everything it has yet to touch.

 Chapter 41: The fire and what remain after

    ¡°Woof! Woof!¡±

    In the midst of the flame, I hear the sound of a barking dog. The silent bark of a whimpering dog, yet somehow that sound makes it past the fire like a cry for help. That cry instantly drags me out of the depth of despair. I stand up and throw my gaze at the intense fire that doesn¡¯t seem to stop spreading everywhere.

    ¡°Fidus? FIDUS!!¡±

    I shout. The dog barks back, but he¡¯s nowhere in sight and neither is his skeleton master. The fire has already blocked the entrance leading to the storage room. I doubt that I will make it alive if I rush inside like an idiot. Yet¡­

    ¡°Woof!!¡±

    I can¡¯t just leave that dog in the middle of this fire. I have lost enough today, even though I don¡¯t like dogs, I can¡¯t just stand by and slowly watch him die from the flame!

    ¡°Damn it! Not anymore! Just stay put, you stupid dog! I¡¯ll find a way to get you out of there!¡±

    I rush back to the upper floor. Getting myself inside that flame is impossible. My cloak isn¡¯t fireproof. The only solution left is to put out that fire, but I can¡¯t do it alone. Which is why¡­I¡¯m going to the rooms on the upper floor, where there¡¯re still living people.

    ¡°FIRE! THERE¡¯S A FIRE!¡±

    I open wide all the doors and shout like a madman. The men use the first moments to get themselves up, the following ones to clear their mind and decide whether this is a joke or not, only to finally realize the reality after witnessing the trail of smoke and the burnt smell from the fire. They all acknowledge the imminent crisis and don¡¯t waste their time to question a greenhorn cadet like me. However, while some of them move very quickly to response to the spreading fire, they are the guys with the most able-bodied among the wounded. The others are still trying to get on their feet, but only barely, considering some don¡¯t even have a second foot to stand, yet they still persist on doing their part. Swiftly, they divide the roles among themselves to set up a system, with the strongest men carry the water from the source, the immobile making a line to deliver buckets of water to the ones on the front trying to put out the huge flame. They are so efficient at this that I can¡¯t even find a chance to butt in and help. But I don¡¯t think my help will make any difference, since even this line of fire fighters can¡¯t put a dent to the fire.

    ¡°It¡¯s not working! We need mages!¡±

    A man on the front shouts after throwing away another used water bucket.

    ¡°We don¡¯t have mages!¡±

    Another yells.

    ¡°Just get them! This fire isn¡¯t going to go away from a few bucket of waters! There are too many flammable things stored in this place.¡±

    Food, medicine and other supplies, all gone in a single burst of fire.

    The men continue their desperate attempt to put out the fire. They may have sent someone out to call for help, but it will too late by the time help arrives. Someone needs to do something other than putting this fire out with the old way.

    ¡°If only I have stronger magic¡­¡±

    The magic I practiced back when I first arrived in this world was water magic. Back then, with enough time and concentration, I was able to make a droplet of water appear out of thin air. But a droplet of water won¡¯t be any of use in this kind of situation, the fire will devour it whole. What we need isn¡¯t a droplet of water, we need a friggin waterfall to even have a chance at stopping this fire.

    ¡°Waterfall¡­Waterfall?¡±

    I look at the ceiling above the fire as the valiant firefighters still busy doing their job. I hate to think like this, but doing this the traditional way won¡¯t work. But the thoughts about the ceiling and a waterfall hit me with an idea. It¡¯s vague and mad, but¡­isn¡¯t that¡¯s what I¡¯ve been doing ever since I arrived here?

    I¡¯m no mage, but I¡¯m an alchemist. I won¡¯t create miracles from thin air, I make them with what I have in hands. That¡¯s right, there¡¯s still something that I can use to destroy this fire.

    ¡°Hey kid, where are you going!?¡±

    Despite the call for help from the busy firefighters, I rush back to the stairs and to the upper floor. On this floor, there¡¯s still a room that I can make use of to deal with this whole situation.

    The alchemy practical training room.

    I open wide the door leading to a rather large room. It has a paperwork corner filled with potions and herbs neatly put on shelves like some sort of trophies from the students who made them. Aside from that little hall of glory, the room is rather simple, with a very huge cauldron at the end of the room, and a mechanical moveable tap installed in the ceiling. This system is connected with a valve attached to a wall that also connected to the same place the water used by the firefighters came from, albeit not from the same source since alchemy synthesis doesn¡¯t use ¡°pure¡± water. When activated, water filled with soul energy will flow out from the tap at the ceiling, it is designed to be automatic because it will take a damn long time to manually bring the water from outside to fill the cauldron, and we all know alchemists are not the physical type.

    According to my visual analysis, the point of intersection between this room from above and the storage room from below would be around¡­

    ¡°Here.¡±

    I touch the ground. This is the center of the room. It¡¯s a lucky coincidence that this room is just above the place that is having a big fire underneath. But I have no right to doubt a blessing. I have a fire to destroy, there¡¯s no room or time for doubt.

    I look up above and think up of a proper plan.

    ¡°Won¡¯t be enough for a waterfall.¡±

    Even if we use all the water from the water supply room, it still won¡¯t be enough to extinguish the fire, it¡¯s already too large for normal water to put out. We need something stronger.

    A bomb. A fire extinguisher bomb. One strong enough to cover the entire room. I need to make a bomb that can do just that, and I need to make one now.

    ¡°First, prepare the landing zone.¡±

    I start preparing the magic circle for the ¡¸Distortion¡¹ spell. The cauldron is big, so I need an equally big magic circle so that the whole thing could went through the floor separating the rooms. I don¡¯t need to be fancy, since it won¡¯t help for the spell to be too complex and I¡¯m already pressed for time. After finishing the final touch, I rush to the side of the cauldron near the end of the room.

    ¡°Second, prepare the cauldron¡­¡±

    I need to move this huge ass cauldron from the end of the room to its center, which is harder than it sounds as the cauldron is almost three meters tall and made from some type of thick metal. It certainly is as heavy as it looks. The good news is it is equipped with wheels underneath, the bad news is the wheels are so tiny they look cartoonish. It won¡¯t be enough to move this by myself. But at the very least I should give it a try.

    ¡°Here goes¡­Hrghhh!¡±

    With all my strength, I push the cauldron forward to the calculated position. It moves¡­for a bit. The wheels attached to the cauldron are working, but it¡¯s too slow with my strength alone.

    ¡°Anyone! Can you please help me!¡±

    I shout. I already left the door open, enough for my voice to come out and reach the guys below. Whether they response however is a different matter.

    ¡°HELP! I NEED SOME HELP!¡±

    It will be better to come there personally to ask them, but I know people like them. They will be too absorbed with fighting the fire with their own way and insist on keep doing it as that¡¯s only way they know. I need them to come to me, to know that I¡¯m trying to make a difference, but how easy it would be for hardened soldiers to believe the words of a kid?

    ¡°GODDAMN IT! WILL YOU GUYS HELP ME OR WHAT!?¡±

    ¡°You should have shout at places we can see you.¡±

    A voice replies my plea for help. As I keep pushing the cauldron, someone appears next to me and helps pushing it forward. A person wearing full armor, with a voice that I know way too well. The last person I expect to be here.

    ¡°Lapidoth? But¡­¡±

    ¡°Bright fire in the darkness before dawn, only a blind man wouldn¡¯t able to notice.¡±

    He always knows how to show up and act cool. Damn it, I hate how cool he is. But I¡¯m glad he¡¯s here, it should make this faster. Together, we keep pushing the cauldron, it does go faster, but not fast enough. Lapidoth¡¯s right arm is broken, he¡¯s pushing solely by the strength of his shoulder. We still need more physical help.

    ¡°Hey! Why are you running off to this place!? We still have a fire to put out!¡±

    Miraculously, two other soldiers appear at the door. They look able-bodied enough to help us.

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask! Just help!¡±

    Lapidoth shout. While the two newcomers look at each other in confusion, they ultimately rush at our side and help us push the cauldron.

    ¡°It would take time to explain. The best thing to do is¡­just tell them to do it without explaining anything! Push!¡±

    With the strength of three men and a teenager (that¡¯s me), we are able to move the cauldron to its intended position. I give the halting signal, and all of them stop pushing. Some of them are confused, but Lapidoth seems to catch a glimpse of what I¡¯m attempting to do.

    ¡°What¡¯s next, alchemist?¡±

    Without letting my hesitation slow me down, I tear a piece of blank paper off some notes on a nearby working desk. My proficiency in using quill pen let me quickly write down a list of materials I need to gather for my plan to work. Thankfully the alchemy material storage is in a separate room instead of being in the burning supply storage room, but they are next to each other. I should make gathering materials our most urgent matter before the fire spread to that place.

    ¡°You two, please get everything you can find in this note. The more you can get the better, as long as they¡¯re on this note.¡±

    I slip the note to one of the soldier in hope that he isn¡¯t illiterate and knows what he should find.

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    ¡°Just do it! We don¡¯t have time to explain!¡±

    I yell. I guess doing this the Lapidoth¡¯s way is better than trying to explain everything to people who wouldn¡¯t understand.

    ¡°Right. We¡¯ll be right back!¡±

    Their confusion seem to waver and swiftly replaced by determination instead. They quickly run out of the room to find me my materials. It¡¯s time for me to do my part as well. I start the water bumping engine attached to the wall, and navigate the mechanical tap above to pour the water to the cauldron. When the valve can no longer be turned, water starts pouring down the cauldron like a waterfall. Soon, it will fill the cauldron, enough for me to start the synthesis.

    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan?¡±

    Asks Lapidoth. He seems cooperative enough and can be a great help with proper motivation. I guess it won¡¯t hurt to tell him my plan.

    ¡°High-expansion foam.¡±

    ¡°High¡­what?¡±

    The man in armor seems confused, just as I expected.

    ¡°High-expansion foam. A type of foam used for firefighting, good enough to deal with class A fire and flammable liquids, and most perfect to deal with fire in an enclosed space just like the one we¡¯re having.¡±

    My choice of words is full of incomprehensible jargons for the people of this world. Of course, I can just tell him in a simpler way, but where¡¯s the fun in that? He¡¯s been acting high and mighty all day, it¡¯s just a little payback, that¡¯s all.

    ¡°When I¡¯m done with the foam, I will use the Distortion magic to send this whole cauldron down to the room below and make it explode using my sole remaining bomb. The foam will spread out across the room and destroy the fire. That¡¯s the gist of it.¡±

    I explain the rest to him.

    ¡°Right¡­So do you need any help? You¡¯re the alchemist here.¡±

    ¡°I can handle the rest from here. However, I need you to help the guys from below to contaminate the fire. It will help me a lot if you guys can put out all the fire before I can, but just stop it from spreading is enough. But, when I give the signal, you and all the other men below must stop fighting the fire. Close the door and get them out of there. I won¡¯t take responsibility if my bomb turns them from wounded to dead.¡±

    Lapidoth sighs as he replies.

    ¡°Simple enough. I leave the rest to you, Akuma.¡±

    The man confirms his mission and walks out to do his part. I need to do my part as well. The water is flowing out of the cauldron like a volcano. I quickly turn the valve back to stop the water. The first part is done, the cauldron is full of water. Now, I need to prepare the water for the synthesis. Using the soul energy focused on the tip of my index finger, I start drawing a magic circle that will help stimulate the water inside, boiling them to easier to transform themselves into foam when met with proper materials.

    ¡°We¡¯re done! Here¡¯s the materials!¡±

    The two soldiers return with bags full of the materials I requested. They are mostly the same chemicals, but I need a large quantity in other to make enough foam for my plan to work.

    ¡°Good! Toss all of them inside the cauldron!¡±

    I give them my order.

    ¡°All of them?¡±

    ¡°All of them!¡±

    I yell. Sorry guys, but I don¡¯t have time to play mister nice guy.

    The two of them obey. They get themselves a moveable ladder from nearby and move it to the cauldron¡¯s side. One climb the ladder and toss the material into the cauldron, while the other stay on the ground to help move the material bags to the one above. They have good teamwork, maybe because they are trained soldier fighting on the frontline.

    BOOM!

    The water inside explodes for a bit, not enough to harm anyone, but still enough to give the guy standing nearby a good scare.

    ¡°How¡¯s the water up there?¡±

    I ask.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t look so good¡­¡±

    ¡°Good, then it¡¯s working!¡±

    After all the materials have been tossed inside, I ask the two of them to stand by at somewhere safe. The rest is my job only. My own battle.

    I focus all of my concentration onto the cauldron, using all of my power to complete the synthesis as soon as possible. There¡¯s not much time left. Just try and keep yourself alive, Fidus! No dogs shall die this day! Not on my watch!

    ¡°It¡¯s flowing out!¡±

    Says one of the soldier. After roughly twenty seconds, the water starts flowing out of cauldron, though at this point it¡¯s no longer water anymore. The water inside has already turned to white foam. I still need some more time, but I¡¯m almost done. This is it!

    ¡°Go tell Lapidoth the signal!¡±

    ¡°What signal?¡±

    A soldier replies.

    ¡°Just tell him!¡±

    I yell, and they quickly rushes back to the firefighters to give Lapidoth my signal. It seems like to these guys being regularly yelled at has already became an instinct, so they automatically obey if someone yell at them loud enough. I kinda feel bad for them, but I don¡¯t have time for sympathy right now.

    The foam is almost done. They keep flowing out and drench a part of the floor in white. I think they are ready. I use my remaining hand to give a check to my RG bomb. It¡¯s still there, safely inside my cloak, but not for long. I bring it out, calculate the time needed for it to explode when I send the cauldron down to the storage room below. The most ideal time to destroy the cauldron is when it¡¯s still airborne, that would help spread the high expansion foam across the room. It needs to be short enough, but not too short, else it will explode right here before it can make it through the floor.

    I guess ten seconds will cut it.

    ¡°I¡¯m done! Do it now!¡±

    I heard a shout from Lapidoth as he arrives at the door. My hesitation no longer persists. After activating the bomb, I throw it to into the cauldron and slam my hands down the war, initiating the Distortion magic I prepared earlier. The stone floor starts to magically wavers away to make a path for the descending cauldron, a sight similar to an event horizon. The floor is like a black hole sucking down the cauldron and send it do the other side below, where it needs to be.

    ¡°Five¡­four¡­¡±

    Only about four seconds left, and the cauldron is almost there. The very moment the cauldron slips out of the floor and drops down below, I quickly command the stone floor to reassemble itself back to normal as if my life depends on it, both figuratively and literally. Only seconds away before the bomb explode, if I can¡¯t reassemble them in time, the result won¡¯t be pretty.

    ¡°Two¡­one¡­!¡±

    As the very last tile returns to its place, the bomb explodes, and the floor shakes as if an elephant just suddenly appears out of thin air and stomps on the ground. But it¡¯s already over. The floor has already stabilized itself and there are no further tremors from below. The plan has succeeded, but the result¡­I need to confirm the result.

    I stand up and turn myself back toward the direction of the door, only to be met with a bunch of wounded men and soldiers standing around, looking stunned by my little show. None says any words, they just stare and it starts to get annoying.

    ¡°Make a way, please, coming through.¡±

    I rush through the waves of people and get myself out of the room, which somehow makes the guys I left behind follow me. I guess they too are curious about the result, about why they need to stop fighting the fire and let a kid like me handle this responsibility. I lead all of them down to the lower floor, only to see the door has already opened prior to our arrival, and a trail of white foam flows out the room.

    Together with me as the vanguard, we approach the gate and get ourselves into the room. Standing in the middle of this place is Lapidoth, who somehow has already found his way inside before any of us. He¡¯s gazing around this white covered room like an astonished kid. The firefighting foam proved to be more effective than I thought, not just from its fire extinguishing effects, but aesthetical as well. The room looks like a snowing sky, with tiny drops of foam snow falling from above. Beautiful.

    ¡°It¡¯s like a whole army just took a bath in this place.¡±

    Says a wounded soldier. Pretty much sums up my thought if I was being funny. This whole room covered in white is beautiful to a fault, but¡­we shouldn¡¯t avert our eyes from the truth.

    ¡°My feet just bumped into something.¡±

    A soldier notices something is wrong, and crouches down to examine the ground. He uses his bare hand to clear off the foam only to find¡­

    ¡°A corpse¡­¡±

    The more we venture inside the room, the more corpses we find buried under the beautiful white foam. This is a burned room, with burned wounded soldiers and doctors and nurses. The place that I was brought back to life from Origen¡¯s assault. The place that I rested moments before this tragedy happened. If a god of tragedies exists, tomenting me must be a favorite hobby of theirs.

    ¡°Damn it!¡±

    I yell. Nobody says anything, they just wander around, bumping into corpses upon corpses. Some are kind enough to start cleaning off the foam and arrange the bodies, which sparks a fire inside the others as they start doing the same. Yet, I can¡¯t seem to find the strength to help them, not after this¡­

    ¡°I heard something.¡±

    Suddenly, Lapidoth opens his mouth and swiftly rushes to the corner of the room, which lies a small mess of rubble, probably came off from the ceiling because of the fire. Does he think there¡¯s something there?

    ¡®I must not lose hope¡¯, I remind myself and follow the man in armor. Together, we approach the stone rubble. It¡¯s not huge, but it will still take a while to get them off. Yet, Lapidoth has already started letting his hands, or hand, do the work. I guess that¡¯s no excuse for me to be lazy either.

    The both of us clear the stones one by one, until I hear something coming from below the rubble.

    The whimpering of a dog.

    ¡°Fidus? Is that you!? If it¡¯s you then give me a bark!¡±

    ¡°WOOF!¡±

    That dog does give me a bark! Me and Lapidoth stare at each other before hurriedly continue getting the stones out of the way. Before long, we find what was buried below the piles of stones. A dog excited to see the face of a living being, and a skeleton man who had half his body crushed by a slab of stone, yet that doesn¡¯t seem to wane the existence of his soul. As his gaze matches mine, the dog rushes outside and bodyslams me with its weight, just like always¡­

    But¡­I can do nothing but laugh¡­

    ¡°You didn¡¯t fail to save someone, Akuma. You saved them, be proud of it.¡±

 Chapter 42: The interlude before the finale

    The cleaning process is going smoothly. Most of the room are almost clean, although the ceiling still needs some work. The corpses of our fallen comrades have already been neatly lined up, but thanks to the fire, recognizing who is who will be a whole new problem. I should have put a hand to help, but hearing the reason why this happened from the words of the skeleton shopkeeper is more urgent on the long run.

    We sit in silent in a corner far away from the eyes and ears of others. Lapidoth is sitting on a pile of stone, near his legs lies the dog Fidus, who has been asleep for a while thanks to the exhaustion that came from surviving a fire. But the most spectacular sight is the skull of the shopkeeper, which is being held by Lapidoth¡¯s hand. The soldier now looks like some sort of evil overlord sitting on his stone throne with the skull of his enemy on his hand and his trusty bloodhound by his side. The sheer thought that it might be the truth behind his secrets send shivers down my spine. Though, back to the problem at hand.

    ¡°Are you¡­sure you¡¯re okay?¡±

    I can¡¯t hold back my concern for the skeleton man who lost everything from his neck down.

    ¡°Most of my body had already been crushed by the stones. Keeping them together with me would be useless. As long as a part of my vessel is still intact, my soul won¡¯t fade away and the King of Annwn can still restore my skeleton body. It may trouble his Majesty, but that¡¯s the only way a humble skeleton like me can continue living, haha.¡±

    ¡°I¡­see¡­¡±

    I really don¡¯t know how skeletons like him can even gain life and exist, so I guess I¡¯ll leave his revival to someone else¡¯s care like he just said.

    ¡°I¡¯ll make arrangements for you to go back to Annwn after this is over. I can promise you this.¡±

    Lapidoth says his part.

    ¡°That¡¯s very kind of you.¡±

    The shopkeeper¡¯s skull replies. This is getting way too spooky for me to handle¡­

    ¡°But let¡¯s leave that later, we neet to get down to the urgent matter at hand. Tell us what happened.¡±

    ¡°Right¡­I will get started right away.¡±

    The skull sighs. What he will tell us may not be a very pleasant memory for him, but we have no choice but to force him to relive that memory again for the reason behind that dreadful fire.

    ¡°It started not long after you left the storage room. Can you remember, Akuma? I was playing ¡¸Sesch¡¹ with myself when you walked away. After I got myself a losing streak, I decided to called it a quit, and together with Fidus, we went back inside with the game board to put it back and sort out my own merchandise as well, which is kind of a moot point considering the fire burned away everything¡­¡±

    His voice trembles and he falls silent. He might not lose his life, but everything he owned had been consumed by the fire. His future will be a hard one, but still, we need his information to prevent tragedies like this from happening again. The man knows it himself, and continues his story on his own accord.

    ¡°Then, as I and Fidus had been busy sorting our stuff, I heard the sound of the glass windows breaking, and from outside, three unknown assailants lunged into this room. They carried shiny knives with them, and with deadly proficiency, they began to silence the ones that noticed their uninvited presence. First, they went after those who could scream, and then came those who couldn¡¯t. Swift and silent, all the room barely noticed their existence and could only lie there awaiting their impending death. By the time everybody became a corpse, they brought out some sort of¡­things. I don¡¯t know what to make of those, but their shape were round and small. The assailants threw them at the food and supply crates across the room, and the fire started from there. Our supplies might as well be called firewoods instead. Soon, the fire quickly spread all over the place. When they thought the time was right, they retreated from the same windows that served as their entrance. By the time they were gone, I tried to get out of this place to call for help, but¡­the entrance had already been sealed off by the fire. Its spreading speed was too unnatural for a fire. I technically could get out of this place safely since I¡¯m just bones¡­but I couldn¡¯t just leave Fidus behind and let him die. Soon after, I heard your voice, Akuma. Fidus replied before I could, then suddenly, a part of the stone ceiling collapsed from the fire and got us stuck inside. But maybe¡­that was what helped Fidus survive this ordeal. The fire and smoke failed to reach him, and you saved him before the lack of air could kill him off. Thank you¡­¡±

    ¡°I just¡­did what was natural to do¡­¡±

    I reply. There¡¯s nothing to be proud about it. People died, and I once again live. It¡¯s already a mircale this borrowed life of mine can help save another, even if that life is a dog¡¯s.

    ¡°Those fire maybe a product made by the alchemists of Ignis. No one in this world can compete against those pyromaniacs when it comes to making deadly and efficient fire. And they called themselves ¡®scholars of magic¡¯...¡±

    Lapidoth makes his theory. It kinda makes sense, a fire spreading that fast could only be made from alchemy. I¡¯ve heard about Ignis before, isn¡¯t that kingdom practically a kingdom of wizards? I read from the book that their capital is practically a giant magic academy. Such a dreamy place, too bad it¡¯s halfway around the world from here.

    ¡°Either way, the cause doesn¡¯t matter at this point. Do you remember the appearance of the three assailants?¡±

    Lapidoth stares at the shopkeeper¡¯s skull. He looks tense, for some reason.

    ¡°Yes. An undead¡¯s vision isn¡¯t obstructed by the night like you living beings. I saw all of them and I can remember every details. They wore dark western clothing, but not the same kind as those Metallumians. They all covered part of their face with a piece of dark cloth, but from their figures, I can guess that two of them were men, and the one leading them was a woman. The most noteworthy detail from their appearance were their left arms, all three were tattooed from the hand to near the bicep. I can¡¯t make of the content, but instead of symbols or phrases, their arm were tattooed with exotic characters from an unknown language. I guess that¡¯s about it.¡±

    A report with important details, but what can we get from these details? How do we know who they are based on what the shopkeeper told us? Another mystery that needs to be solved to make some sense to the war I¡¯m fighting in.

    ¡°¡­Rouge Moons.¡±

    And of course, Lapidoth just have to instantly know the answer for our problem. Praise to be him (yay!).

    ¡°You know who they are?¡±

    I ask, despite knowing he will naturally explain who they are without my input anyway. But well, someone has to keep this conversation going. Communicating isn¡¯t a game you can play alone.

    ¡°On the farthest land in the West lies the ¡¸Kingdom of the Moon ¨C Lunae¡¹. They are famed for their army of incredibly skilled assassins, called the ¡®Moonlight Assassins¡¯ whose existences are meant to serve the will of the kingdom. Some, however, don¡¯t like to be mere tools of the king and nobles, despite the indoctrination they recieved from training. The law allowed those who wish to leave to exile themselves and become ¡®Rouge Moons¡¯, Moonlight Assassins in name only, with affiliation only to themselves and their pocket. The tattoo on their arm is a sign to show that they are legally exiled and allowed to leave the kingdom. Rouge assassins without that sign will be hunted down by the Moonlight Assassins without any mercy, and those assassins are well-known for a reason.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a veteran soldier for you, haha. You know the most trivial titbits.¡±

    The skull laughs, while I stumble in silence to try to stomach Lapidoth¡¯s own information dump.

    ¡°Are those assassins Origen¡¯s men? Maybe we let them slipped by because we were too busy dealing with the man himself¡­¡±

    I reply the man.

    ¡°They may work under his army. But I don¡¯t think they are his men.¡±

    And he just has to rebuke me like that.

    ¡°You fought him once. What do you make of Origen, Akuma?¡±

    Lapidoth suddenly asks.

    ¡°He seems to be an honor-bound kind of guy. He¡¯s a Paladin, after all. The type who sticks to his principles. Someone with his own standard, who lives and dies by it.¡±

    He even offered me a quick kill when I was mortally wounded. Too bad someone saved me before he could deliver his mercy kill.

    ¡°Yes, and that sort of man wouldn¡¯t be easily swayed to let assassins do his dirty works. This was orchestrated by someone else. Though, whoever they are, they were not very wise in their moves.¡±

    ¡°What do you mea¡­¡±

    Suddenly, it hits me.

    ¡°Is it because of the burned supplies?¡±

    Supplies are a resource in war. An army marches on its stomach, no matter if they are humans or demons. Burning the supplies in the middle of a war is like dumping a bunch of solid gold to the sea when you¡¯re in the middle of financial crisis. The loss of our supplies is a bit hit to the demon army, but¡­

    ¡°Yes, you caught on quick. Assuming Origen¡¯s objective is the capture of this castle, and destroying the castle¡¯s barrier is only the first step, then what will he do after he have this castle in his pocket? The human army hurriedly rushed to this place in the span of a day, I doubt they gathered enough supplies for a long siege. If they manage to take control of Melas castle, Origen obviously know the demons will throw everything they have to take it back. Consider the position of the pieces in the war, the reserved armies inside the Demon Realm will reach this castle faster than the Alliance forces fighting at the Dark Line can, assuming they can make it through the demon armies defending the place. Origen will be isolated and face a counter siege if that scenario happens, yet how can he deal with an impending army trying to reclaim this castle without anything for his soldier to eat or medicine to heal their wounded? Which brings us back to the original question: Who¡¯s crazy enough to burn out all the food supplies when capturing an enemy castle?¡±

    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    Nothing that I can answer, I know next to none about Origen¡¯s army, how can I know what to say to the guy when he¡¯s in the middle of overthinking scenarios?

    ¡°¡­is for later. We still need to deal with our most urgent matter ¨C Origen himself.¡±

    ¡°Of course¡­¡±

    I reply to the man. Thank goodness it¡¯s over.

    ¡°Which brings the topic to the reason why despite all my speech about duty, I easily abandoned my search for the Headmaster to come to your aid. My reason is simple enough: I found Origen.¡±

    ¡°What!?¡±

    I yell out loud. Even the shopkeeper¡¯s skull looks surprised.

    ¡°¡­Or rather, where he might be. I didn¡¯t see him with my own eyes, but I saw a single soldier of his guarding an entrance leading to some place I presume the barrier¡¯s core. The location is the castle¡¯s chapel. I failed to find the Headmaster at the walls because she went away to survey other parts of the walls. But rather than reaching the Headmaster by the walls¡¯ road, I went through the castle once more hoping for a chance to find Origen¡¯s location, and I got lucky.¡±

    ¡°Finally, some good news!¡±

    I¡¯m almost filled with joy. Now we know where Origen is, we need to strike him down before his ambition brings further tragedies upon us.

    That is what I thought, before I realize Lapidoth¡¯s presence here¡­in this place, next to me and talking to me about all these important informations. He doesn¡¯t look like the type to do something without a good reason. Our gaze meets, and I can hear a chuckle from beneath his skull-shaped helmet.

    ¡°You caught on quick. Maybe almost being killed by Origen has finally put your brain to work.¡±

    ¡°You¡­don¡¯t you mean¡­¡±

    Says the shopkeeper, but his words fail to stop Lapidoth from announcing his true intention for coming here.

    ¡°I will continue searching for the Headmaster as planned before. We need her help to stand a chance at stopping Origen. But, I do not know whether Origen will remain there by the time her reinforcement arrives. Which is why¡­I have a mission for you to fulfill.¡±

    ¡°You need a distraction, to hold Origen at bay until Nilrem comes and finishes him off, right?¡±

    The man chuckles, confirming my theory.

    ¡°I once asked to you run, but you chose to fight nonetheless. Now that I ask you to fight, will you run away?¡±

    ¡°In your damn dream!¡±

    I yell out loud to refute Lapidoth¡¯s attempt of mocking me. Nonetheless, this mission is just want I wanted.

    ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous! You almost died once because of Origen. Don¡¯t let him finish the job, Akuma!¡±

    The shopkeeper yells. I know his concern has a good reason, but I need to finish what I started.

    ¡°If I refuse an important mission just because the fear of death, then the life my teacher paid for mine is wasted forever! Lapidoth, I accept this mission, and I will fulfill my duty! I will keep Origen at the chapel until you bringt that old hag¡¯s ass over there! Heh, I may not look like this, but I¡¯m an expert at annoying people. Origen won¡¯t know what hit him!¡±

    ¡°So it would seem.¡±

    Lapidoth stands up and prepares for his departure. I also turn my back against them to prepare for my own departure as well.

    ¡°Your enthusiasm, is it recklessness or courage, I wonder?¡±

    ¡°How about you decide after Origen is defeated?¡±

    I smirk and without a proper goodbye, I let my feet guide my way to the room¡¯s exit.

    ¡°Defeated, heh¡­?¡±

    -------------------

    Before I fulfill my mission, I need to prepare myself to the utmost of my power. The chapel is located at the main castle, and the path leading to the chapel also lead to another place, a place that I have every reason to get sidetracked.

    That place is the student council room, or to be more accurate, Kardia¡¯s own little workshop. I would like to say it¡¯s ¡®our¡¯ workshop, but it maybe too personal to name it that way. But despite that fact, I have come to think of this place as my own workshop as well, another reason to give it another visit.

    ¡°Hello again, Mr.Cat.¡±

    I greet my beloved Mr.Cat as he stays silent on Kardia¡¯s desk, just like how I put him there at the start of my little war. I guess no one have any reason to go to this place if they don¡¯t know its purpose.

    ¡°I have a lot to tell you, but sorry, I¡¯m pressed for time. Maybe later, then.¡±

    I search for my own creations that are kept at the bottom of Kardia¡¯s bookshelf. Most are useless junks I created and experimented, but I also hid dangerous items that may harm Kardia at this place, the most ideal hiding place I can think of.

    ¡°¡­if later exists for me.¡±

    The thing I search for and bring out of the bottom shelf is my remaining RG bomb. I used up all of mine for mundane tasks prior to this, and since it¡¯s the most powerful firepower I have at my disposal, I need one if I hope to stand a chance at fighting Origen. I¡¯ll need all the firepower I can afford.

    ¡°You may think of this as foolish, Mr.Cat. But I¡¯m going to fight someone I cannot win.¡±

    After I secure the bomb, I stand up and watch the spare handgun Kardia made still neatly kept inside its glass showcase. Unlike mine which is black, her gun is white in color, like a huge contrast between our abilities as alchemists. But I don¡¯t mind losing to her, I still have a lot to learn from her on how to be a better alchemist.

    ¡°It¡¯s foolish, I know. But it¡¯s not my only foolish act that I made today. I had one earlier, fighting that very opponent, and lost. My failure cost the life of my own teacher, and he traded it for mine. That¡¯s why I¡¯m still able to be here, to talk with you.¡±

    I use my hand and crush the glass showcase. The broken shards spread everywhere, it will be a pain to clean all these, I¡¯ll clean them¡­later.

    ¡°Then why do it again? You may ask. Well, the thing is, that foolishness was because I was ordered to run, yet I stood ground and fought instead, when I had absolutely no reason to. I was arrogant, and overconfident in my own ability, thinking I can win just because I¡¯m from another world, a modern, better world. That¡¯s where I failed...But this time, it¡¯s different¡­¡±

    I grab the gun away from the showcase, and try holding it with my hand. It¡¯s a weird feeling, putting my hand on another¡¯s gun, but I have to quickly get used to it if I want a chance to survive this ordeal. I need all the firepower I can afford.

    ¡°This time isn¡¯t because of the impulse of a kid who wants to be special, who wants to be of use for others, who thought it doesn¡¯t matter to sell his life away if it can gain something of value, no matter how little¡­¡±

    ¡°This time¡­is because I have a duty to fulfill, and I intend to live and fulfill it.¡±

    I load one of my bullet magazine into the new gun, leaving me with two spare magazines left. The sound of the gun cocking is so satisfying. It¡¯s ready, Kardia¡¯s gun is ready. Wielding her creation by my side makes me feel at ease, as if Kardia herself is by my side, supporting with all her power. With two guns, I feel like I can defeat anything. Arrogant, I know. Still feel good nonetheless.

    ¡°So, that¡¯s about it! Nothing to worry about! And nothing more to do!¡±

    That¡¯s what I say to the immobile Mr.Cat, but as the thought of leaving for battle run across my head, my eyes catch gaze at the mini cauldron on Kardia¡¯s desk and put that thought to a halt.

    ¡°Though maybe there¡¯s still one thing left for me to do.¡±

    An idea sparks inside me. It is something I have never thought of before, but maybe¡­it can prove useful for the upcoming fight.

    ¡°This might be my final synthesis, but let¡¯s hope I¡¯m wrong.¡±

    -------------------

    Dawn seems to be nearby as rays of early sunshine shine through the chapel¡¯s glass windows. It¡¯s a good thing the glass windows seem to be intact, if not, the perfect piece of art of a dark angel hovering in the sky holding a black heart in her hand won¡¯t be available for the spectators like me to witness.

    The single armored soldier guarding the entrance still stands firm with hands on his sword pointed down to the floor, even when I have already made my presence known. With him standing in the middle of two sides of the wooden pews, the human soldier looks like a reverend preparing for a sermon to preach the power someone with a sword can wield.

    Either way, he still has yet to make any reaction, until I am halfway away from his position.

    -You¡­

    Through his helmet, the soldier speaks. I simply reply my enemy with a smirk and my own vocal announcement.

    -I have arrived.

 Chapter 43: The clash of youth

    ¡¸Castle Chapel - Dawn¡¹

    The two young men face off each other, but none make the first move. They just stand there, staring at the other like a pair of separated acquaintances. One stands firm with his trusty iron blade by his hands, the other is unarmed, but beneath his almost tattered cloak are weapons from a world the other one cannot comprehend. Yet, none of them seem to have any hostile intent, at least for the time being.

    This is merely the calm before the storm, and both of them are aware of it.

    -You are a human, are you not? I witnessed your fight with Origen, while you didn¡¯t talk much, I know you understood everything he said during that battle.

    The young man in full armor speaks. His tone is calm, mostly because whatever the other one did to hinder their war efforts, he¡¯s still a human in flesh and blood just like him.

    -Yes, I am a human. The other demons don¡¯t know this, I intentionally led them astray from my true origin. It¡¯s my way to survive in this castle.

    The young human replies in the same friendly manner.

    -I see. Then, if you still see yourself as a human, will you willing to join our side and fight for mankind? When this castle falls, a terrible fate will befall upon you should you remain by the demons¡¯ side. I may not be the one who¡¯s able to pardon you for your crimes, but if you earnestly repent, escaping the death penalty isn¡¯t really far-fetched. It¡¯s better than to be executed at best or made a slave at worst solely for allying with the demons.

    The young man in cloak smirks, but it doesn¡¯t come off as a sign of arrogance, rather a face of regret instead.

    -It¡¯s kind of funny. Someone made the same offer to me at the start of this siege. Back then, I seriously considered accepting the offer. But¡­it sadly got interrupted by one of the demons. I was forced to follow him and fight your kind, the humans of this world. I actually have regrets about that, and often wondered if fighting alongside mankind was the right thing to do¡­rather than teaming up with demons. My indecisiveness led me to my defeat by your general, Origen. My life was at his mercy, and he decided to give me the death I deserved.

    The young man smiles, a genuine smile without any hints of sarcasm.

    -But when I was on the brink of death, I was saved by a demon. It¡¯s conceited to say he paid his life so that I could live, but I can¡¯t deny the truth that he died saving me. We were hardly familiar enough to be called acquaintances. He was my teacher, I was his student, and we barely knew each other for a month. Yet, I¡¯m here because he fought Origen so that I could be saved from death, so death took him away in exchange...That event changed me, among other things.

    The young man pauses before continue.

    -If your kind thinks the demons are the lowest life form ever existed, should I betray the demons and fight for your kind, won¡¯t that make me lower than even the demons you despise? It¡¯s not about pride, more like about doing what¡¯s morally right. I won¡¯t betray them, I won¡¯t betray the demons, I will fight for them, and I will fight against the humans of this world, like you and Origen. In short, I¡¯m your enemy, and you¡¯re my enemy.

    Yet, even after declaring his intention, the young man in the tattered cloak has yet to draw his weapons and still indulges in idle chatters.

    -I see. That is to be expected, I guess.

    The young man in armor calmly replies, with no intent to go to battle himself.

    -Should Origen know about your circumstances, even if you betrayed the demons to fight for us, he will still finish the job he started and end your life for your ingratitude.

    -So I made the right choice then? Hahahaha. Lucky me!

    The young man in the tattered cloak laughs out loud before speaking again.

    -Well, shall we get to the part that actually matter? I expected you to come charging at me with your sword at the first sight, yet for you to start idle chatters like this is unexpected. You¡¯re trying to buy some time, aren¡¯t you?

    The atmosphere starts to get tense, as if marking the end of this conversation. The two young man from two opposing sides stare at each other. The one in armor suddenly starts to chuckle.

    -I could say the same to you. You and your little sob story, they were merely a ploy to distract me from dispatching you and buy you time as well. That¡¯s why you were so eager to tell your life story to someone you barely knew. To think that you are aiming for the same objective¡­

    -The means, not the end. My objective is not the same as yours.

    -It doesn¡¯t matter.

    The young man in armor firmly grasps his iron blade, preparing to strike in a moment¡¯s notice. The other one is also preparing for something as well.

    -I say we cut the bullshit and go straight to business, don¡¯t you agree, demon?

    The young man smirks.

    -You¡¯re goddamn right!

    Swiftly, the young man takes out his black gun inside his cloak and starts firing at the one in armor. His adversary seems to have already prepared himself for this sudden attack. Rather than rushing at the opponent like a mad bull, the young man in armor slides to the left side of the chapel instead, running behind a stone pillar to look for cover.

    BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

    The one with the gun fires four shots, four bullets come out of the gun barrels, but the man in armor is faster than he appears to be despite the weight of his armor. Thanks to his quick feet, three bullets miss their target and bounce off the stone wall. One manages to find its mark, but it gets blocked by the sword¡¯s fuller when he defends his body, a wise decision. This won¡¯t be an easy fight for the one with the gun, his mistake is thanks to the young man in armor¡¯s presence when the faux demon fought Origen with all of his arsenal. The other guy knows what he can do, and will think of counter plans using the knowledge he acquired.

    ¡®This will be a pain in the ass¡­I need to go all out with everything I have!¡¯

    Knowing standing in the open makes him a sitting duck, the young man in tattered cloak also finds himself a cover behind the opposite stone pillar. With this brief chance of peace, the young man brings out a simple syringe, he tucks his cloak¡¯s right sleeve and stabs his arm with it, pumping the liquid inside into his vein.

    -Can I have your name before I stab your throat?

    From the other side of the pillar, the young man in armor shouts, or to be more truthful, taunts his opponent.

    -My name is Akuma! And you are a fool to think it will be that easy!

    Akuma replies as normal as he can afford to be. The drug made from the Spirit Calling flowers is starting to take effects on Akuma¡¯s senses. Soon, he will be in a state of adrenaline rush, and gain enough reaction speed in his consciousness to deal with melee fighters like the one he¡¯s fighting. This drug is meant to be used together with Deborah¡¯s speed enhancement spell. It is risky to use it without being under the effect of Deborah¡¯s spell, since the difference of speed in thought and action would be vastly differ, but that¡¯s a risk Akuma is willing to take if he wants to win this battle.

    -I see! Then remember the name of this fool, Ettore Albero! Because that¡¯ll be the last name you can remember!

    Akuma hears the sound of footsteps. The one called Ettore has already made his move. He gets out of his hiding place, and rushes to the pillar where Akuma is hiding behind. How he can find out his location is unbeknownst to the young cadet, but one theory he makes is because of his introduction earlier, Ettore pin-pointed his location from the echo of the sound. It sounds impossible in theory, but Akuma knows enough impossible feats to make reading sound echoes seem mundane in comparison.

    CLANG!

    Without any prior warnings, a horizontal sword swing comes aiming at the place where Akuma¡¯s neck ought to be. If not for his reaction speed and quick reflex to duck below, Akuma would be a headless man already. The swing earlier leaves Ettore with a small opening, but Akuma won¡¯t take that chance for a counter attack. He needs to get to an open area where his gun will have a bigger advantage. Of course, he knows his opponent won¡¯t be foolish enough to meet him in an open area. He needs to bait him out, that¡¯s why his pipe bombs exist.

    -This thing again!?

    Says the soldier as Akuma throws down a pipe bomb to the ground before running out of the way. Ettore recognizes one of these thing when he witnessed the young cadet¡¯s fight with Origen. He knows what this little pipe can do, and he isn¡¯t foolish enough to stay and try it out himself.

    BOOM!

    The pipe bomb explodes and brings down a chunk of the pillar along with the blast. Ettore now finds himself in the open, just as planned by Akuma, who is now pointing his gun at Ettore, two of them to be exact. A black one, and a white one.

    -Damn¡­

    BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

    Akuma opens fire. Ettore might be able to handle one gun, but he never expects his opponent to have two, and can use them simultaneously nonetheless. Akuma has his own reason to use his second gun only at this time, the first is because of the surprise element, the second is because he doesn¡¯t have enough skills to use two of them at once, only when his reaction speed is at its peak can Akuma be sure that he can effectively use two guns.

    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    CLANG! CLANG!

    Like a sitting duck, Ettore can only stand and block the oncoming bullets with his sword¡¯s fuller. He has been trained at dealing with oncoming arrows before, but those arrows are nothing compared with the tiny terrors he¡¯s facing. Ettore is half scared and half amazed, just like how he blocks half the bullets coming his way and takes the other half with his body.

    -Arghh!

    Ettore groans in pain. His left forearm has been shot, his left shoulder also has been shot and his lower left stomach gets shot as well. His armor prevents the penetration from going further, but the bullets stuck inside his body still fill him with pain. He quickly acts to stop Akuma from dealing the finishing strike by kicking the wooden pew in front of him. The pew slides at Akuma, hitting his feets and throws him off balance. An opening!

    -Orahhhh!

    ¡­which Ettore takes it, instead using it as a distraction to run for safety, the young man in armor decides to take a bet and throws in everything he has for a counter attack. He jumps through the pew on the ground, and throws a diagonal sword slash at Akuma¡¯s head. The young man quickly rolls away to dodge the strike, but Ettore aggressively continues to pursue his enemy with sword slashes after sword slashes. The pain dulls his senses, actively repressing his fear of death and gives him an unnatural courage. Akuma¡¯s bullets fail to halt his opponent, and only makes him stronger. He continues rolling on the ground like a rag-doll, trying to find a chance to get up and retaliate. But when he finds such chance, Ettore is already standing nearby.

    CLANG!

    In an desperate attempt to protect his life, Akuma uses both of his guns as his shield to block Ettore¡¯s blade. The edge of his sword is just inches away from Akuma¡¯s fingers. Ettore already has his opponent on their knees, and uses his position as the momentum, he forces Akuma into a contest of power between his guns and Ettore¡¯s blade.

    -You are strong, Akuma! So strong, we may have already won the war if you join our side from the start!

    Despite the momentum, Akuma proves himself not to be so weak to be pushed down by a young man with one wounded arm. This soon becomes a stalemate from a lack of a superior winner.

    -But you just have to choose to fight for the demons instead!

    Seeing the futileness of this contest of strength, Ettore ends the fight himself by kicking Akuma in the torso, through the tattered part of his opponent¡¯s cloak, with his iron-made boots. The kick sends Akuma flying to afar and makes him accidentally drops his black handgun in the process.

    -Ackkh!

    Akuma starts coughing out blood. He feels like his internal organs just get flipped upside down thanks to the kick helped by the iron boots. The super sense he gained from the drug only makes him feel the pain better, which is some sort of blessing by itself as it prevents him from losing consciousness from the pain. Too weak to move away, but with Kardia¡¯s gun still remains in his arm, Akuma can only defend himself by shooting at Ettore in vain.

    CLANG!CLANG!

    -If you¡¯re willing to fight for them, then die with them!

    Once again, Ettore blocks the desperate shots. Most of them hit his blade, some find their way toward his vambrace once again. His left hand is too wounded to hold the blade anymore, yet it¡¯s still a miracle that he continues to march on despite the wounds he suffered from Akuma. Strength granted by an unyielding will and determination, those are qualities that Akuma admires, yet he ironically finds them inside his adversary who¡¯s marching toward him with a sword aiming to end his life.

    BANG!

    Akuma fires another shot, his last shot as the white gun on his hand runs out of bullets. Miraculously, when the final bullet hits the sword¡¯s fuller, Ettore¡¯s sword breaks into pieces, unable to endure the punishment it received any longer. Yet, a part of it still remains just above the crossguard, enough to be used as a dagger.

    When he finally approaches the wounded Akuma, Ettore sits on his enemy¡¯s stomach and pushes down his broken sword at Akuma¡¯s throat in an attempt to make his earlier threat come true. Akuma can only defend himself with his empty left hand, blocking the dagger by stopping Ettore¡¯s wrist. Another contest of strength, their final contest of strength.

    -Today¡­you die!

    Ettore intends to win this struggle. With all his remaining strength, he forces his wounded arm to contribute its strength to his other hand in pushing the broken blade down. When even that is not enough, Ettore lowers down his upper body to add more momentum. The blade¡¯s edge is just inches away from Akuma¡¯s throat.

    But unbeknownst to him, Ettore¡¯s final act to drive Akuma into a corner has already sealed his fate.

    Sphhhlt!

    Ettore is too absorbed to stab Akuma that he fails to notice what his enemy¡¯s right hand is doing. Ettore just assumes since his white handgun can¡¯t shoot bullets anymore, it¡¯s safe to approach him for the killing strike. He doesn¡¯t expect Akuma to have a knife hidden inside his cloak, and provides him a perfect chance for a counter attack when he lowers down his torso. This results in a knife right in his throat, the most vulnerable place his armor can¡¯t protect.

    -Not¡­today!

    Using all his strength, Akuma continues to sink his knife deep down Ettore¡¯s throat. Blood flows out of his throat like a waterfall, and all of them fall upon Akuma¡¯s face. The hot blood soaking on Akuma¡¯s face does not make his strength waver, he continues to stop Ettore¡¯s final attempt to bring Akuma down with him, and continues to pushes his knife further and further, until the bleeding stops, and Ettore is no longer alive.

    Akuma won¡­barely. His opponent¡¯s corpse lies on his body, soaking his clean shirt with streams of red blood. Yet, Akuma hasn¡¯t move yet, even when there¡¯s a dead corpse weighting him down.

    ¡°So this is¡­killing¡­¡±

    Akuma has killed before, but through the use of gun. Such a nice weapon it is, it offers an illusion of guilt, the surface of killing as a concept, not as a feeling. This is the first time that he truly kills someone, directly with a knife on his hand, resulting the blood soaked on his body. The feeling when his knife struck Ettore¡¯s throat, the fear when the hotness of his blood doesn¡¯t fade away. Akuma is left speechless, but only until he reminds himself of his duty, of his mission.

    -Sorry¡­

    Akuma pushes Ettore¡¯s immobile corpse away to get himself up. It¡¯s far too late for him to feel regret, if he lets fear and grief have their chance to bring him down, he won¡¯t be able to move forward to do what he determined to complete.

    Akuma crouches down and takes off Ettore¡¯s helmet. Under the iron mask is a young man his age, handsome with short auburn hair and earnest brown eyes. If he hesitated for a bit, it would be him in his place instead of Ettore. Either way, killing him doesn¡¯t make Akuma feels better, despite the two of them being enemies that swore to kill the other.

    ¡®Perhaps I will never able to get used to this¡­¡¯

    -You fought well, Ettore Albero.

    As a final gesture of respect, Akuma closes the dead soldier¡¯s open eyes. He might die with regrets in his heart, but at the very least, Akuma wants his opponent to have a well-deserved rest from his duty as a farewell gift.

    When Akuma finally gets up, his blood-soaked knife suddenly shatters into pieces of dust, like the day he first attempted to synthesize something.

    ¡°I really should have done more knife-making practices¡­¡±

    Just an afterthought, an idea fueled from his fear of unexpected situations in his upcoming fight, Akuma hastily made a knife from Kardia¡¯s cauldron solely to prepare for a situation like this, when everything he has in disposal might not be enough. He never expects to use it this soon, without even fighting Origen.

    ¡°Well, I just have to make do with whatever I have left.¡±

    Akuma picks up his white and black handguns, replacing the emptied magazines with his final ones. He only has a few pipebombs, two smoke bombs and one RG bomb left under his cloak. May not be enough, but at the very least, he can hold off Origen long enough until help arrives.

    ¡°Origen¡­I¡¯m coming for you!¡±

    Suddenly¡­

    CLANK!

    From the altar, a huge shockwave comes out, it breaks all the glass windows and goes through Akuma, leaving behind a chill down his spine. It doesn¡¯t deal any physical damage upon him, but Akuma can feel it deeply in his mind. It¡¯s a wave made from pure soul energy, he knows it the very moment it touches his body and soul. He doubt he is the only one who can feel it. He has a feeling that shockwave will spread very, very far away, to everyone participating in the siege of Melas castle. It¡¯s a sign, a message foretelling the destruction of the castle¡¯s barrier¡¯s core.

    ¡°No¡­I¡¯m already too late¡­¡±

    Akuma hears footsteps from the altar. Someone is coming.

    Origen is coming.

 Chapter 44: The dawn of the end

    The hidden gate under the altar opens wide, and shortly after, a man emerges from the hidden room that used to hold the barrier¡¯s core.

    That man is Origen, the Black Paladin.

    He is still the same imposing black man as he has always been, with that very same huge stature and his dreadful holy shield by his side, but now his iron armor is soaked in dried blood, not to mention the lack of his right arm - a parting gift from Bjarni, or so Akuma heard from Lapidoth¡¯s words. Akum is no fool, he never thinks losing an arm would hinder Origen¡¯s ability to devastating everything that dare to challenge him. But now, his faith in an invincible Origen has been shaken.

    In Akuma¡¯s memory, Origen was a man in his prime, probably in his forties and still full of strength. The Origen before him however is hardly a man in his prime, there are wrinkles on his face, and his black beard has already turned white like an old man in his sixties. There are barely any life left in his brown eyes. He struggles just to stand on his feet, it¡¯s already a miracle that he managed to drag himself out of the hidden room beneath the altar. Akuma is shocked when the man who almost killed him has been degraded into a husk of his former self. Rather than hours, the man before him looks like he just spent years inside that hidden room.

    ¡®Just what in the world¡­¡¯

    -Ettore¡­is that you, young lad¡­?

    The man speaks. He continues to drag himself out of the hidden entrance, without even recognizing the one standing before him is not the soldier working under his wings, who pledged his life for him to complete their duty.

    -I¡¯m sorry¡­my eyes aren¡¯t as good as they used to be¡­I can only see a blur figure in front of me. If it¡¯s you¡­please¡­tell me you are there¡­

    Slowly, the man walks out of the altar, painfully moving away in search for his soldier.

    -I thought¡­you¡¯ll be happy¡­knowing you completed the duty I gave you¡­I¡¯m here¡­Ettore, you protected me¡­you did it¡­young lad! We¡¯ll win this war¡­and return back home¡­you¡¯ll be able to start chasing skirts¡­and drinking booze¡­and have a kid or two¡­Isn¡¯t that something to look forward to?

    Origen just stands there, monologuing, before his soldier¡¯s killer, with his soldier¡¯s blood dyed his face and clothes in red, while his soldier¡¯s corpse lies lifelessly on the ground with a wound in his throat, and he doesn¡¯t know it, unless Akuma says something to break this charade, to make this easier for both Origen and himself.

    -Ettore is dead.

    Origen halts his track the moment Akuma¡¯s words reach his ears.

    -I killed him.

    -This voice¡­who are¡­you?

    Akuma didn¡¯t talk much during their brief encounter earlier. Hard to find a mood for talking when Akuma was busy fending for his life.

    -My name is Akuma. The kid you failed to kill.

    -You are¡­the young man from that time¡­the one saved by Bjarni¡­his student¡­But how? Those wounds¡­

    -I got better. I don¡¯t know how, but I got better¡­

    Even now, Akuma still can¡¯t believe how fast he recovered from that mortal wound.

    -So¡­Bjarni saved you for a reason¡­I killed him¡­and now, you killed my soldier¡­and came for me¡­Such is the cycle of war and conflict¡­

    Origen resumes his steps. Slowly, Origen walks toward Akuma while he continues to speak in the tone of a dead man.

    -Neverending¡­and inescapable¡­

    Akuma looks disturbed. This is too painful for him to endure anymore. He can¡¯t bear to watch the former prideful paladin staying like this any longer. The young man readies his black handgun and points it at Origen¡¯s head.

    -Is that¡­your weapon I see¡­young man? Such a wonderful weapon¡­if we had them, maybe¡­winning the war¡­won¡¯t be such an impossible dream¡­

    -My reinforcement are coming, I don¡¯t know what they will do to you when they arrive. The very least I can offer you is the same mercy you offered me.

    The man halts once again.

    -Mercy¡­?

    -I will make it quick and painless. So please¡­

    Suddenly, Origen starts laughing. His voice is that of a dying man, without any life left in his body, but it¡¯s still a laugh nonetheless. It¡¯s weak, barely making it out of the room, but it¡¯s haunting like the cries of a raven. A dead man¡¯s laugh. A lamentation from a victim of himself and his duty.

    -I¡¯m sorry¡­

    As Akuma in the middle of speaking, suddenly¡­Origen rushes into his place, with his shield readies on his remaining hand, and as quick as lightning, he rams it down the place the young man is standing.

    BRRUMP!

    If not for his drug is still in effect, his reaction won¡¯t be fast enough to dodge the sudden strike from Origen, and Akuma is glad that he did. The attack leaves a small crater on the floor, just from Origen¡¯s attack with his shield alone. It¡¯s unbelievable to think this is made by the strength of a half-dead man knocking on death¡¯s door.

    -My life¡­isn¡¯t yours to take¡­young man!

    At this very moment, Akuma knows the fight already begua, and it¡¯s solely his fault to think Origen can be brought down so easily.

    -Not to you demons¡­

    BANG!BANG!

    Akuma fires his black gun as he moves away through the pews in search for a cover. Two shots, enough as a warning shots. His ammo are too scarce for him to thoughtlessly fire away. Though, if Origen still has the same strength in their previous fight, no amount of ammo can stop this man from finishing the job he started.

    CLANG!CLANG!

    The half-dead man effortlessly blocks Akuma¡¯s bullets with his trusty shield, and activates its blade mode at the very same time. Even with only one arm, Origen is still a far more deadly enemy than anyone Akuma has ever faced. Maybe this is a good time for him to feel regret.

    -Only the humans can take this life away from me!

    The man charges forward, and focuses strength into his arm. With a powerful swing, he blows away the wooden pews standing between him and Akuma. One of the pew hits Akuma¡¯s arm and pushes him to the ground. Kardia¡¯s cloak protected him from the pew, but when he falls down, his body reminds him the kick he took earlier from Ettore hasn¡¯t healed yet.

    -Damn it¡­!

    Despite the pain, Akuma forces himself to stand up once again, lest he falls prey to Origen¡¯s shield. The stone pillar is just nearby, Akuma drags himself behind it for a cover, away from Origen¡¯s slow but powerful onslaught. His enemy is strong, but whatever damage he took back in the hidden room is still present and is hindering his feet. He may not move very well, but when the time to attack arrives, he unleashes everything he has in one stroke, with the strength to shatter rocks and men. Such a formidable opponent.

    -Ettore...Gust...my soldiers...they didn¡¯t pay their life for me to fall this easy...I will return...and face the punishment for my sins...I cannot die here! I won¡¯t allow it! Ugroaahhh!!!

    Origen suddenly roars like a dying beast. Despite being safe and sound behind a sturdy stone pillar, Akuma can¡¯t help but feel a chill down his spine, as if this little safe haven isn¡¯t as safe as he thinks it is. From a little peek outside, Akuma sees Origen approaching, slowly, but he makes no movement to try and catch Akuma behind the pillar. Instead, he readies his shield, preparing himself to do something Akuma can never imagine that he would do it.

    BRRUMP!

    With a single swing from his shield, Origen crushes the bottom part of the stone pillar, smashing them into bits by bits. Akuma luckily awares of Origen¡¯s plan, and swiftly takes flight away before he gets hit by the stones, but the young alchemist does not emerge unscathed. A few small debris hit the young man, some get blocked by his cloak, but one manages to luckily hit his temple. A piece of rock, not too big, but with its flying speed it isn¡¯t any different than a non-lethal bullet. Akuma once again falls down to the ground with his temple bleeding. His head is dizzy like it¡¯s spinning inside, but he still knows better than to stop here and allow Origen to finish what he started.

    -Araghhh!

    Akuma shouts. He stands up and fires his gun at Origen like a madman. Perhaps not the sanest move, since Origen blocks all of them easily with his shield until his black gun has no ammo left, but someone with a wound in his head can hardly make a sane plan at a moment¡¯s notice.

    Suddenly, the ceiling starts to crumble. Losing its foothold, the ceiling can no longer support the weight of the damaged pillar. The pillar begins to fall out, and will make a huge mess when it does.

    ¡®This is my chance!¡¯

    Akuma swiftly puts away his emptied black handgun and takes out one of his pipe bombs. Right when the stone pillar falls down, before it makes contact with the ground, Akuma throws his pipe bomb at Origen¡¯s feet and quickly runs away.

    BRRUMP!

    The remaining of the pillar crashes. It doesn¡¯t break away into pieces, but it does create a fog made of dust and stone bits from the impact. The fog blurs away all sight of the opposite, but quickly after, Akuma can hear the sound of his pipe bomb going off.

    BOOM!

    Akuma doesn¡¯t think that small bomb can do the job, but if it works and Origen doesn¡¯t notice the bomb he dropped prior to the pillar¡¯s fall then maybe he can still stand a chance in direct combat against the Paladin.

    But, in a very unexpected way, or maybe it is expected considering the kind of opponent he¡¯s facing, Origen flies through the fog, with his shield somehow is guarding his back instead of his front. But from just one brief look, Akuma understands everything.

    Origen used the power of the blast in conjunction with the protection from shield as a momentum to propel himself through the crashed pillar and the fog. And when the man notices the shadow of Akuma behind the fog, he switches stance and strikes his shield down at his enemy.

    -Argghhh!

    The shield¡¯s blade edges make a deep cut on Akuma¡¯s right arm. Not deep enough to make him become a one-armed man like his enemy, but it¡¯s still a serious wound that will hinder his battle efforts. The blood from his arm keeps flowing out and wet the floor in red as he distances himself from the dreadful Paladin. With his left arm, Akuma uses his white handgun to shoot at Origen and keeps him distracted.

    -Your explosive toy won¡¯t work twice, young man...My eyes aren¡¯t as good as they used to be, but my ears can still pick up the sound of it rolling at my feet¡­

    One by one, Akuma¡¯s bullets once again bounce off Origen¡¯s shield, but at the very least, he has already went to a safe range away from Origen. But if it continues like this, Akuma will never be able to win this fight. Maybe his reinforcement will eventually come, but Akuma afraid he might already be a dead man by the time they finally arrive.

    -Give it up, young man...you cannot defeat me¡­

    Akuma breathes heavily. The bleeding continues to drain his strength away. Origen¡¯s surprise attack sure did a number on him, if he attacked his body instead of just his right arm, then Akuma is already a goner.

    ¡®Wait a minute¡­¡¯

    Something doesn¡¯t feel right, Akuma thinks. Origen could have killed him right then, his surprise attack was the perfect chance to finish him off, yet...he went for his arm instead¡­

    ¡®That¡¯s it¡­!¡¯

    -Origen, prepare yourself. My counterattack starts now!

    He still has some cards left to play. Before Origen has a chance to do something, Akuma brings out the smoke bombs inside his cloak. He activates and throw them all across the room. Soon, the chapel is quickly filled with a veil made from dust fog and black smoke. Akuma quickly disappears from sight when his alchemical smoke kicks in.

    Origen continues to stand by in the midst of the fog. Staying passive isn¡¯t really the brightest battle plan, but Origen knows his young enemy won''t make a scene like this without something in mind. The best plan Origen can think of is to wait and witness, but not without vigilance.

    BANG!BANG!BANG!

    The shots fire through the smoke, which get blocked by Origen¡¯s shield from his own reflex. Not only that, the half-dead paladin can pin-point the exact location of the one firing the bullets, based solely on feeling the direction of the bullets touching his shield and the sound of his weapon firing off. Origen has fought Akuma long enough to know when his gun fires off, someone will die, but not Origen. If Akuma keeps relying on his guns alone, he¡¯ll never able to defeat the Black Paladin.

    When he finishes mapping Akuma¡¯s position in the smoke, Origen rushes at his side and swings his shield down. As if expecting this from the start, the young man hiding behind the smokes dodges away when Origen¡¯s shield makes another mini crater on the stone floor.

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    BRRUMP!

    Before Origen regains his stance and makes a second attack, Akuma swiftly flees away into the smoke once again without making a fuss. Certainly this isn''t something Origen expected.

    -So this is your counterattack, huh!? Hiding away and attacking behind the smoke like a coward? You¡¯re shaming your teacher¡¯s death, you know!? How about you start fighting like a real man!?

    Origen shouts, which is replied with silence. He guesses even that brash young man isn''t foolish enough to reply to such an obvious taunt and reveal his location. This makes their battle back to square one, a game of cat and mouse chasing each other.

    -I won''t miss next time¡­

    Origen continues to stare into the fog, which is useless considering his damaged eyesight. Maybe it would be better if Origen fends off the fog, but the damage he took inside the hidden room is starting to hinder him again. He lacks the power for anything but separating his young enemy into half, and he needs to make it quick, before his own timer runs out.

    The next attack will be the last, either for him, or for Akuma.

    BANG!BANG!BANG!

    Another bullets barrage. The experience earlier makes Origen reacts faster. He charges forward with his shield on, blocking all the incoming bullets without stopping his track. When he arrives at the site, Origen swings his shield with all his might before Akuma can have a chance to dodge and escape. The attack to end everything.

    CLANK

    ...only for it to hit an empty stone wall, with his enemy nowhere in sight.

    -What¡­?

    On the wall are magic circles, empty circles that served their purpose, which a non-alchemist like Origen can''t tell from their design. But those aren¡¯t Origen¡¯s concern, the magic circle he¡¯s stepping on with a box inside is what he should be worry about.

    BOOM!

    The box turns out to be a bomb, not the pitiful type Origen encountered earlier, it''s something strong enough to destroy a huge cauldron made from thick iron, and Origen gets caught at point-blank of the blast, without him being able to react fast enough to defend himself. The blast sends Origen flying away along with a portion of the smoke.

    When he lands, Origen can do nothing but groan in pain. It¡¯s a miracle he isn¡¯t blown to bits, but the miracle ends there. The bomb burns Origen¡¯s front body into a crisp, but it does nothing to stop his bleeding from the burn. Origen¡¯s body trembles from the shock and pain. Yet...he continues to struggle despite everything. With willpower alone, he commands his body to stands on their knees, but that''s already his limit. Origen can barely feel anything, even the shield on his remaining arm. He can do nothing but be at Akuma¡¯s mercy, who¡¯s standing behind his back with his white handgun in hand.

    Akuma¡¯s trick for his victory wasn¡¯t something very special, just a good use of whatever he has left in disposal, and Origen¡¯s own physical status. The man is half-blind and half-dead, so he mostly relies on sound to execute most of his actions, which is why he stays rather passive for most of the fight. When he missed his sudden attack from the fog, Akuma knew he could exploit this with his own smoke bombs. The first barrage of bullets was solely for distraction, to lure Origen at a place he knew his enemy wouldn¡¯t move away until he continued to attack, and to give Origen a false lead that this counterattack of his wasn¡¯t different from a standard hit-and-run tactic.

    That led to the next step of his plan, the trap. Akuma knew Origen would know the location he was shooting from. By making use of the spare bullets left when he changed the magazine of his black handgun before the fight with Origen, using some Image Magic to attach them on the wall and fire them away when activated, Akuma lured Origen into the location of his main trap, the RG bomb. With a magic circle that detonates the bomb when being stepped on, the rest was simple enough. And Akuma¡¯s plan worked, all thanks to his wounded right arm, which is still as painful as ever.

    Akuma points his white handgun behind Origen¡¯s bald head. With Origen on his knees, this looks a lot like an execution site. He¡¯s too wounded to retaliate back in any form. ¡®Willpower alone can¡¯t make up for the lack of strength¡¯, Origen once said something like that to his young enemy, only to find how ironic it is for their role to be reversed.

    -So I lost¡­

    Says Origen as he awaits his inevitable death. At least Akuma¡¯s gun will make it quick for him.

    -Kill me¡­young man¡­you won¡­But my death¡­won¡¯t stop the inevitable fall of the demons¡­

    The barrier has already been destroyed. Origen¡¯s death will change nothing. Even so, the young man cannot simply let him be.

    -The humans will come¡­Our heroes will come¡­Soon¡­they will put an end to this¡­meaningless war¡­once and for all¡­And I will watch everything unfold¡­in the nether realm of ¡¸Ardahat¡¹¡­I shall await you there, brave young man¡­

    BANG!

    Akuma fires his gun, the bullet goes straight through Origen¡¯s head, killing him instantly. His dead body falls to the ground, no longer moving. Origen is dead, killed by Akuma.

    -Let them come. We¡¯ll be ready.

    Akuma walks away after putting his white handgun back inside his cloak. Seems like reinforcement won¡¯t be necessary, considering Akuma finished the job by himself. That being said, despite killing the one that needed to be killed the most, Akuma¡¯s feeling is mixed. He wonders is it because he killed a half-dead man on the brink of death? Or is it because of Origen¡¯s last words? The barrier has been destroyed, just like what Origen planned. He may not live to see the result, but Akuma¡¯s afraid what Origen said will spell doom for all the demons.

    ¡®Well, no matter. Origen¡¯s gone. I¡¯ll deal with everything else later.¡¯

    After he assures himself of his own victory, Akuma starts to walk away, thinking about what should he do next and who should he blame for the lack of reinforcement, completely unaware of Origen¡¯s dead corpse rising from the ground and charging at him as if the dead paladin has never died in the first place.

    ¡°Ackk!¡±

    The corpse catches Akuma by surprise. It grabs his neck with its sole remaining arm and slams him into the nearest wall. His cloak protects him from the impact, but that doesn¡¯t cover his neck which is being strangled by the living corpse.

    There is no life in Origen¡¯s closed eyes, and neither is any voice or sound to make his corpse sounds alive. His corpse just stands up and strangles him like an act of vengeance beyond the grave. Maybe Akuma knows why¡­

    Origen¡¯s shield, the paladin¡¯s deadly weapon. Despite being a mere shield, it¡¯s no longer there, rather, it has somehow morphed itself into some sort of wicked gauntlet, with steel tentacles attaching into the corpse¡¯s remaining arm like a parasite, controlling this dead corpse as its meat puppet to avenge its master.

    -Damn¡­it¡­!

    Akuma takes out his white handgun and emptied every single bullets he has left into the parasitic gauntlet, yet none of his bullets can get it off nor stopping the corpse from taking him to the grave following Origen¡¯s turn. The lack of breath starts to blur his vision. Akuma¡¯s strength disappears, and his own death soon approaching.

    But someone saves him.

    Akuma doesn¡¯t know who, nor how they appeared, but he is saved. With a swing from a glaive, his savior lops off the arm strangling him as easy as cutting a piece of butter. As the arm falls to the ground, that person kicks the corpse out of the way, it responses by doing nothing and returns to being a mere corpse, free from the manipulations of the wicked holy shield.

    ¡°You¡­are¡­¡±

    As light returns to his eyes, Akuma looks at the appearance of his savior from behind their back. Grey wizard robes, a big hat, waist-length long grey hair, and a magic staff with a red orb conjuring a magic blade that Akuma mistakes for a glaive. This person is probably his own headmaster, Nilrem Erramun. But why is she here? Akuma asks himself.

    ¡°Everytime trouble arises, it¡¯s always because of ¡®his¡¯ toys¡­¡±

    The person supposedly to be Nilrem walks toward the lopped arm and slams the parasitic gauntlet with the wooden end of their staff. When being attacked, the gauntlet¡¯s tentacles start retreating back to its core and reassemble themselves into the same holy shield belonged to Origen earlier, as if that nightmarish parasite is just simply an illusion.

    ¡°Just what¡­is that thing?¡±

    Akuma coughs and breathes back some more air. At the same time, that person returns to his side for a talk, and her appearance surprises him.

    That person is Nilrem alright, but the Nilrem he knows was an old woman who looks like in her thirties, but was probably older than that. But the Nilrem before him¡­is a young girl, maybe even younger than him, and cute as well. Even so, the wickedness of a witch still resides in her wicked smile as she realizes his sudden attraction to this new vessel of hers.

    ¡°Nilrem¡­? You¡¯re Nilrem, right¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I am. Don¡¯t act so surprised. You can flirt with me later, I¡¯ll allow it if you have the heart for it.¡±

    Akuma sighs. Somehow, Nilrem is even more annoying to him as a young girl rather than as an old lady.

    ¡°Why are you here¡­?¡±

    Akuma asks.

    ¡°Your reinforcement, of course. If I didn¡¯t come to save your sorry ass, you would have joined the ranks of the dead with your latest achievement by now. Congrats on your victory by the way, Mr.Akuma. You killed the dreaded Origen.¡±

    Despite being praised, Akuma can¡¯t feel happy nor proud after what he went through from the start of this war. But Nilrem doesn¡¯t care about that. The woman, or girl, extends her hand to offer a help for Akuma to stand up, considering he¡¯s still sitting on the ground and brooding.

    ¡°But the victory feast must wait, Mr.Akuma. I¡¯m afraid the worst is yet to come.¡±

    ---------------------------

    ¡¸Forest Outskirt ¨C Dawn¡¹

    At the humans¡¯ summoning site, most of their summoners are already dead from soul energy exhaustion, only the chief summoner remains to maintain their summoning formation. The ritual is almost done, and can be released right this instance, but he needs to keep the ritual in check before the signal arrives. The signal that announces the destruction of Melas¡¯s barrier.

    -He did it! General Origen did it!

    A scout soldier quickly arrives at the site on horseback, bringing the news everyone in this place want to hear.

    -He destroyed the barrier¡¯s core! Now their protective barrier is gone!

    All the guarding soldiers look at the sole remaining summoner, awaiting an order from the one in charge.

    -Good¡­your job here is done, soldiers. I¡¯ll take it over from here by myself...

    Suddenly, all the remaining soldiers salute the summoner, before their leader opens his mouth.

    -History will brand us as traitors and rebels, but your sacrifices here¡­we will never forget them.

    -Heh¡­right¡­I leave everything to you, then¡­

    The remaining summoner replies, his voice grows weaker and weaker.

    -All men, charge forward to Melas castle battleground! That castle is now ours to take!

    All the remaining men obey, and soon, they flee from the site, leaving only the chief summoner behind.

    -I¡¯ll leave everything to you¡­General Origen¡­it has been¡­an honor¡­

    The last of his power disappears along with his life force, and the chief summoner joins his fallen fellow brethren. At that very moment, the summoning circle stops glowing¡­

    BOOM!

    And from the earth, something gigantic emerges. It continues to grow, and grow, until its huge body blocks away the light of the morning sun. It is humanoid in shape and face, but its body is completely made from wood, only with tree leaves on its face as its mighty beard. Its total height is taller than eighty meters. A being from another dimension, with the power to change the tides of war in a single morning and leaves behind forests upon forests after its wake.

    The ancient [Archtree Ent], Origen¡¯s army last trump card.

    From afar, a small army of demons arrive while riding the fearsome wargs, all of them witness the emergence of the giant Ent, and it fills them with fear and anxiety.

    "I hope we are not too late. The central army of the Demon Realm! We will not let Melas castle fall today! Charge!"

 Chapter 45: The counterattack of mankind

    ¡¸North-East Area ¨C Dawn¡¹

    Deborah wakes up from another of her brief nap on the castle wall. It''s rather strange for her, since she has been sleepy all the time from yesterday. If not for the noisy battle noises in the West ward, Deborah might have continue sleeping in as if it''s a normal Sunday morning, but there''s still a war to fight, and it won''t wait for her to finish her sleep. Deborah rubs her sleepy eyes to wake herself up¡­

    ¡­only to find four human soldiers suddenly charging at her with a black chain of their hands.

    -What!?

    Caught by surprise, Deborah reacts too slow to escape from the soldiers'' encirclement. They trap her by tying her arms with their black chain, and swiftly drag her away in a hurry before she has any chance to break free and escape.

    ''This chain¡­''

    Deborah tries flexing her arm muscles, surprisingly, that isn''t enough to break the chain. If it''s a normal chain, Deborah can easily break them merely by flexing, but of course, the humans won''t try something as reckless as dragging a dragon away with a simple chain, which explains why they''re in such a hurry dragging her away as if their lives depend on it, and it''s true in a way.

    ''It might be enhanced.''

    The invading army probably have some alchemists coming with them to prepare this chain solely for the purpose of restraining Deborah. Do they mean to capture her alive, bring her back to their land in a cage, imprison her before dissecting her in search for her power, or maybe doing something ''worse'' than those...?

    If so, they''ll need armies at their back, not just four soldiers!

    -Araghh!

    Deborah screams as she focuses strength into her arms. The enhanced black chain shows signs of breaking, and eventually Deborah breaks free from her binding. Despite that, they have already dragged her out for quite a bit of distance. They may not be the same soldiers who escaped her claws in the battle prior, but those who survived won''t be foolish enough to keep their comrades uninformed. These humans know what Deborah can do, and when she have her chance to retaliate, they sure as hell won''t be in range to be beaten to a bloody pulp.

    -Scramble!

    One of the four shouts out loud, which prompts all four of them to abandon the now broken chain and scramble away to four different directions, leaving Deborah behind and confused from this sudden course of action. Normally, they would wave their swords and charge at her like maniacs all while screaming "Glory for the Heaven Realm!" or something like that...This is shady, too shady, yet Deborah can''t make clear of the goal behind all these.

    Only when a large shadow gets casted on Deborah''s position does she understand everything.

    From the sky, a huge round rock falls down and crushes Deborah''s body under the castle wall. Too fast, too sudden, Deborah can neither react nor scream as the giant rock turns her body into a bloody pulp and traps her between itself and the cold stone wall. Only part of her hand manages to stick outside, immobile in the middle of her own pool of blood.

    When the human soldiers feel secure enough, they start getting closer to the crashing site, inspecting whether or not the dragon girl has truly died.

    -Did...it work?

    Asks a soldier. Despite the success of their plan, some of them still seem to have doubt, but it''s natural considering the insane feats she displayed from the start of this siege.

    -I can''t believe this crazy plan actually worked...

    They stare at each other through their iron visor, trading confused looks among themselves.

    -We need to make sure she''s dead for good.

    Suddenly, a soldier brings out a twig he hid behind his back.

    -You brought a twig along with you? In a life or death mission?

    -You never know when you''ll need one!

    The soldier with a twig is oddly proud of his preparation.

    -Just get it over with¡­

    Says another soldier, which prompt the rest of them to slowly walk away from the crash site, leaving the soldier with a twig as the only one near the giant rock and the crushed dragon girl. Just in case.

    -Damn you all¡­Well, here goes nothing.

    As careful as possible, the soldier slowly uses his twig to touch Deborah''s arm. The first touch doesn''t prompt any reaction for the girl''s arm, not very different from a dead girl''s arm. The soldier feels safe enough, but just to be sure, he continues touching the arm with his twig. No noticeable reaction so far.

    But just before the soldier can finally conclude that Deborah is dead, her arm suddenly grabs the twig and breaks part of it into wooden crisps. The sudden reaction scares the helmeted soldier and makes him fall back on instinct.

    -She''s still alive! Run!

    All the soldiers run away for their life as Deborah''s arm push away the giant rock that crushed her body, despite their difference in size and position. At first, the moving process is slow since she can barely use her arm, but it eventually get faster when more spaces becomes available and thus more movement. When her main body is free, Deborah stands up from the place she is stuck with a bloodied body soaked from her own blood. The rock fails to crush her to a pulp, it merely traps her on the castle wall with its body. Deborah''s body is unharmed, despite all the blood on her clothes. Even so, Deborah''s more pissed and angry than happy from getting out from a death trap.

    -Damn you all¡­Get back here! I''ll rip you apart!

    Deborah shouts in a fit of anger. She starts to move her legs in an attempt to chase down and punish the human soldiers who did this to her. Despite her self-imposed pacifism, Deborah doesn''t hesitate to punch first and negotiate later if she''s absolutely pissed, just like this situation.

    But as Deborah''s legs start moving, something suddenly grabs them before Deborah can react, and that something starts pulling her off the ground and slams her down the stone tiles like a pitiful rag doll. As Deborah gets herself mercilessly pummeled by the unknown assailant, her eyes recognize the enemy attacking her.

    It''s the giant rock earlier, yet rather than a big but harmless rock, it now assumes the form of a stone golem humanoid in shape but not in size, another creation of Ignisian alchemists. Despite its bulky appearance and faceless feature, the shining "eyes" at its neckless "head" keep blinking like an amused child happy to found their new toy, which their idea of playing involve beating the crap out of their toy to see how durable it is.

    ''If the rock doesn''t kill you, the golem will finish the job¡­''

    -Whoever made this must have a really sick sense of humor!

    Deborah won''t accept being humiliated like this any longer. When she sees an opening, Deborah throws a punch down the arm grabbing her legs. Her punch actually makes a crack on the hard arm made of stone, it''s not enough to break the whole arm to bits, but it actually weakens the golem''s grip on her legs and allows Deborah to free herself, albeit she still needs to take some moments to recover from being wounded once again.

    -UGAGAGA!

    The stone golem makes some sort of strange battle cry that doesn''t resemble any known languages. It''s smart enough to know not to give its opponent anytime to recover. The golem charges at Deborah and attempts to grab her once again, this time her whole body. But the element of surprise is gone, Deborah won''t let it capture her again that easy.

    -Eat dirt!

    Deborah shouts and throws a punch at the golem''s lunging arms. This time, Deborah''s punch actually manages to push the golem away from her, despite their difference in size. Part of its arm shows signs of breaking. Her punch actually packs a force similar to being rammed by a truck. But not even her can defy Newton''s third law, the force she generated also inflicts some damage on her knuckle, which makes them bleed out, though Deborah can tell there''re no broken bones in her fists. Either way, her battle plan from now on is simple: Punch harder until her enemy breaks.

    Deborah''s right arm suddenly bursts out a flame, and from that flame, her normal human-like slender arm is now wrapped in red scales of a fire dragon, accompanied with five black claws at her fingers. Deborah clenches her dragon fist and charges at the golem with incredible speed that makes the stone wall tremble for a moment.

    -UGAGAGAGA!

    The golem throws a punch, which Deborah counters by throwing her own using the dragon arm. The stone arm and the dragon scale clash, this time, the stone arm actually breaks apart from the impact between their fists, while Deborah''s scaled arm remains unscathed.

    -A good rock is a rock that doesn''t move!

    Deborah throws another punch, this time with all her full force concentrated on her dragon arm and aims at the golem''s torso. Its huge body combined with being thrown off balance from the loss of its arm make the golem an easy target for Deborah to take her revenge.

    -Die!

    Deborah punches, a punch so strong it generates a small wind storm, and that punch breaks the golem into smaller chunks of rock that remain immobile after being destroyed. From its remains, a small ball of glittering light comes out and hurriedly flies away into the morning light. Deborah cares too little of its insignificant existence, but she''s still intrigued of its presence inside the golem. May be the reason the golem can move is because of that tiny ball of light?

    However, Deborah doesn''t have the time to think about how the golem works as she finds herself surrounded by the four soldiers who trapped her in the first place.

    -Give it up, the four of you alone can''t hope to defeat me.

    With her anger satisfied, Deborah returns to throwing threats instead punches at the human soldiers. Yet the human soldiers are still as stubborn as ever, despite the fear aura emitted from Deborah''s draconic eyes.

    -We''re not alone.

    From the walls, waves and waves of human soldiers crawl over the castle wall and assemble themselves into groups. Not only that, from the part of the wall leading to the North-West ward, another wave of soldiers also flood into this back corner of Melas castle. Deborah can only watch in fear of her comrades'' fate as the waves of human soldiers from both sides assume a pincer formation to trap her inside.

    ''Three hundred¡­no, there''re more¡­four hundred!''

    Deborah makes a quick estimate, and deduces that there are roughly four hundred human soldiers surrounding her.

    ''Why are they here? If the front walls have fallen, then taking the castle should be their first priority¡­or¡­''

    Her train of thought gets cut off as a human soldier loudly declares their intention.

    -It''s over, dragon! You''re surrounded! Even if you can regenerate yourself, that ability must have its limit! Nothing is unkillable, and we will prove it today!

    The soldiers draw their weapon and show no sign of fear. Do her eyes have no effect because she wasted so much strength up until this point? Deborah wonders that herself, but that can''t change the reality before her, about the men she must kill if she wants to protect what she holds dear.

    ''Why are humans always this stupid!?''

    Deborah clenches her fists and teeth as the human soldiers charge at her from both side. But¡­just before Deborah delivers the first kill, there''s a disturbance in the soldiers'' ranks behind her back. From behind their rear, bodies start flying away from their united formation as someone charges in and attacks all the humans blocking their way. This sudden attack throws the humans'' formation into chaos, and only helps to make it easier for whoever charging in to make it to their intended position, or rather, Deborah''s position.

    And finally, they emerge through the human soldiers, with their body bloodied but unscathed, leaving behind corpses after corpses from their wake. It''s not one, but two of them, they are riding a blood soaked Warg, a type of giant wolf monster tamed for riding in the Demon Realm. One of them is a male with orange blonde hair, a tall young man holding a spear stuck with several human heads still in their helmet, while his rein-holding hand is equipped with a typical iron sword. The other is a grey-haired quiet girl who''s holding a tome in her hand. Both of them have a rather varied outfit, but they have one thing in common:

    Both of them are wearing a black cloak, Melas''s black cloak.

    "Caelan! Iola!"

    Deborah shouts. Her face brightens as if she just saw some light after being imprisoned in the dark.

    "Kept you waiting, huh?"

    Caelan laughs as he turns his Warg behind and starts stabbing the human soldiers following him. His spear is quick and precise, a perfect weapon for a rider, especially when accompanied by a brutal and savage mount like a Warg. As for Iola, she gets off the Warg as Caelan starts doing his own business. She rushes at Deborah''s side, but utter no words but a bunch of magic chants as she gets on her knees and starts making some sort of magic.

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    -Die, demon scums!

    Deborah may not understand, but she still realizes these two have some sort of plan, and starts devoting herself into protecting these two so that their scheme may bear fruit. As the soldiers from the other side start charging at them, Deborah also begins fighting. Her normal, human-like arms are enough to hold the humans at bay. Even when consciously holding back, Deborah still shows no mercy. Every punches she throws is an instant kill attack. Armors and helmets, swords or spears, nothing can stop her from tearing the humans'' rank apart. Her attacks lack neither finesse nor grace, but should a dragon care about techniques when it can destroy lesser beings solely through brute force?

    "Deborah! Caelan! Get over here!"

    Iola suddenly shouts out loud. Despite this out-of-character moment of hers, the two in question get back to her side as ordered. With her comrades nearby, Iola slams her tome to the ground, and suddenly, wind starts gather around their area, conjuring an intense whirlwind in the process which wraps the three young students within itself like some sort of barrier. Some soldiers try stabbing the people inside with their spears, only for them to get broken to bits by the sheer power of the wind''s movement.

    Inside the whirlwind, the three young students exchange gazes, wondering what to react in such a bizarre situation. Iola is the first one to make a move, by hugging Deborah as she starts crying.

    "Deborah! You''re still alright! Thanks the Gods! I can''t imagine what to do should you die before we come!"

    Even Deborah is surprised, she can only replies by hugging her friend back with her own blood soaked hands, but not without a smile on her tired face.

    "The gods might not helped, but you can be sure that I won''t die so easy in a place like this!"

    Deborah starts hugging Iola tighter.

    "And I''m glad to see you too¡­Iola"

    Maybe a little too tight¡­

    "De¡­bo¡­rah!! Can''t¡­breath¡­!"

    Deborah realizes her mistake and quickly lets go of her hold of Iola. She forgets with a part of her limiter unlocked, her strength is now vastly stronger than it usually is.

    "Since when¡­did¡­you get so strong?"

    Iola seems traumatized. Well, the girl is a rather frail girl like a tender flower, and Deborah used that kind of strength to hug her like a bear catching its prey¡­

    "I''m sorry!"

    "E-hem¡­!"

    As Deborah starts feeling remorse, she suddenly remembers the presence of the other friend of her.

    "Oh Caelan, you''re here too."

    "Thanks for remembering me!"

    He seems understandably annoyed.

    "Why are you two here anyway? Weren''t the two of you supposed to go home for New Year?"

    Deborah asks. Instead of Iola, Caelan himself is the one answering her.

    "Well, it''s a long story, but I''ll keep it short! When I started walking back home, after a day of endless walking, I suddenly bumped into a bunch of ¡¸Sanguin¡¹ cadets, as numerous as an army! They told me our academy is being attacked, so I went with them. We met with Iola along the way, and I dragged her along because that''s what friends do. We head into troubles together!

    "Reinforcements from Sanguin? Wait, you walked on foot to your home?"

    Deborah doesn''t know what surprises her more, the fact that reinforcements have arrived from the Demon Realm, or the fact that Caelan decided to travel back home through the monsters-filled land on foot and by himself¡­

    "Wait, that doesn''t matter! Where''re the red cloaks!?"

    Deborah asks.

    "Waiting at the Erkunia Forest. They said they brought along one thousand battle ready cadets. Though how many is one thousand anyway?"

    "Enough to save this castle."

    Deborah replies. She has read about this battle-focused academy, they train their students to become the best soldiers there are. The human army is also at their limit, a thousand elite soldiers are enough to help save Melas castle!

    "They are waiting for the gate to open, Deborah."

    With that one sentence, Deborah understands everything. About why they risked their life through the human soldiers just to get to her, and why Iola even bothered to make this whirlwind for their conversation to happen.

    "I''ll guard your back, you two get to the gate and open them for our reinforcement''s arrival."

    Suddenly, Iola laughs, not too loud to make her feels unladylike, but still a rather out-of-character moment for a quiet girl like her. Perhaps because of Deborah''s own obliviousness.

    "We already opened the gate. Everything we did up to this point...it''s just a distraction, Deborah."

    From outside the whirlwind, the human soldiers'' attention starts turning to the waves and waves of Warg riders in red cloaks riding through the secretly opened gate. The sudden appearance of their enemy''s reinforcement brings panic to the ranks of the human soldiers. They hurriedly rush to close the gate, but it''s already too late, a part of the reinforcement army has already detached themselves from the rest and now they are standing guard at the place holding the mechanical system used to operate the gate. The young and full of vigor red cloak riders easily dispatch the oncoming exhausted human soldiers. One part of the human soldiers start retreating back to the North-East area in order to alert their comrades, the rest remain to deal with their enemy. When the whirlwind protecting the young Melas cadets disappears, they find themselves staring at the backs of two different group of enemies. A perfect chance for a counterattack.

    "Well...I never expected my first battlefield would be at our own academy. But I can''t be picky on that matter."

    Says Iola. With a helping hand from Caelan, Iola gets back to sit on the back of his Warg, behind its rider.

    "Are you sure the two of you will be okay?"

    Despite being friends, Deborah still doesn''t know much about her own friends other than the time she spent with them in this school. This maybe their first battlefield, and while they fare rather well up until now, who knows what will happen?

    "We can only try and move forward..."

    Iola replies.

    "Well, you''re right. I can''t afford to hesisate any longer. You two, attack their rear and help guide the red cloaks through our castle. I''ll take care of the retreating humans myself."

    "Aye aye commander!"

    Caelan seems excited as Deborah relays her order. Despite his lack of presence in their conversation, Deborah did witness his skills with a spear earlier and how he non-challantly destroyed the human soldiers. Maybe he''s actually better at this than what she expected of him.

    ''So there''s actually something he good at.''

    "Will you be okay on your own? And where''s Akuma? Don''t tell me he..."

    Iola asks.

    "He won''t die that easy, I won''t allow it to happen without my permission. And don''t worry about me, I can handle this on my own! You two just go and fight the enemies! We''ll meet again after this siege is over! We''ll then gloat about our victory to his face when that time arrives!"

    "Roger, madam! I can''t wait to see his reaction! But well, there''s a war to fight, and Caelan''s joining the fray!"

    Caelan commands his Warg to start running, and when her friends start doing their part, Deborah also begins to do the same by running to the opposite direction, chasing the retreating enemies.

    "Haha! This is way more interesting than having dinner with a bunch of old farts back home!"

    Like an experienced warrior, Caelan starts tearing the human''s rear with a sudden blitz, in unison with the red cloaks from Sanguin on the other side. The two forces start cornering the humans into the same pincer attack they made on Deborah earlier. Caelan''s spear betrays his reputation as a famous idiot, his deadly skills with a spear fail to make him look like someone with below average intelligence, though one may argue fighting techniques don''t require the mind of a scholar to train and use.

    As Caelan starts the killing on his own, Iola can do nothing but watches the back of her dear friend Deborah running far away to chase the retreating humans. Iola and Caelan arrived to this place sooner than they thought, and the two of them witnessed what Deborah can do from her fight with the stone golem, and of course, they are partly aware of her true heritage as a dragon. They didn''t say anything because they didn''t want to bother Deborah with unnecessary thoughts right before the big fight. On the contrary, it eases their worries considering how strong Deborah actually is, she''s far stronger than they actually expected.

    Even so, Iola can''t help but feel worried for some reason¡­

    From the sky, a huge rock suddenly starts falling down. From what Iola can tell, the location is probably near the gate. The humans are attempting to block the red cloaks'' advance right at the door. It''s probably a golem as well, just like earlier, but it won''t be able to make a difference considering the fighting ability of the red cloaks.

    But that''s not the problem. The problem is Iola sees someone riding along with the stone golem as it falls from the sky. An unimaginable thought, Iola even doubts her eyes considering no one is crazy enough to ride on a flying golem through the sky. But as that person detaches themselves from the falling golem, Iola realizes she''s not seeing things. Her fear is real.

    "DEBORAH! LOOK OUT!"

    Deborah hears her friend''s warning, but it''s already too late for her to do anything.

    Sphhhlt!

    Deborah finds herself being stabbed through the stomach from the back by a crystal blade. She bursts out blood through her mouth from the attack, but despite the wound, the girl retains some consiousness to swing her arm for a counterattack. The unknown assailant draws back their sword from Deborah¡¯s stomach and nimbly evades her punches with some backflips.

    ¡°DEBORAH!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯M OKAY! GO!¡±

    Deborah shouts to reply her friends from behind. Her wound is severe and would kill a normal human being, but Deborah¡¯s no human being. She falls on one of her knee, but quickly regains her balance as her wound automatically heals itself once again. And soon, Deborah stands to confront the one who attacked her.

    -I originally aimed for your heart, but it would seem that fate chose to save you. Not to mention your healing powers...I guess that is to be expected from one of Anul¡¯s chosen.

    The crystal blade earlier has torn apart part of the clothes at her stomach, which makes it rather revealing and immodest, but it¡¯s no time for any of the humans to be aroused by a girl¡¯s bare skin, because on Deborah¡¯s navel, right where her bellybutton ought to be lies a glowing sigil, or a seal, to be exact. Anul¡¯s ¡¸Dark Seal¡¹, granted only to his chosen champions. Around that seal is the tattoo of six feathers gathering around the seal like a circle, a tad different from what is known about Anul¡¯s Dark Seal.

    But there¡¯s no mistaking it. Deborah has a Dark Seal in her navel, which she hides carefully that no one but the Headmaster knows about its existence. The only time this secret almost came out is at the time when Akuma saw her in the middle of changing, but that is irrevelant information as of now...

    Either way, with her possension of the seal, Deborah in reality is not only a fire dragon, but also a seal bearer, and a ¡¸Demon King Candidate¡¹, one with the right to challenge and rule over all of the Demon Realm!

    -You and me are alike. Chosen by gods, brought here by fate to kill each other by the order of destiny. Anul¡¯s chosen bearer, my destined nemesis, I have arrived!

    Her assailant is a young man, almost the same age as Akuma in appearance, with a handsome face accompanied by short brown hair and a pair of sky blue eyes. He¡¯s equipped with a common leather armor, with the clothes of a peasant boy beneath them. Despite his common looks, the young man is in possession of a sword with an extremely regal appearance, a broadsword with a crystal clear blade and a gold handle. If not for the ¡¸Light Seal¡¹ of the Light God Lielos glowing on his right hand, one would have mistaken him for a thief who stole the sword from a real hero. But that glowing white seal tells the truth, this holy sword belongs to him, a ¡¸Hero¡¹ of the Heaven Realm!

    -HERO! HERO! THE HERO IS HERE!

    The human soldiers shout with joy from their hero¡¯s arrival, which fills them with morale to fight back the demons¡¯ reinforcement army. But when the two destined enemies facing each other, even the war of men and demons seem hardly relevant.

    - My name is Sera Fino of the Empyrean Mercenaries! My enemy, on your guard!

 Chapter 46: The spark of destruction

    Snow falls again after a day of absence from the war, just in the nick of time before the duel of light and fire. The recently dried castle wall has started to drench again from the falling snow, making it harder to move, but that does not hinder the hero and the dragon even for a bit.

    The young hero rushes at the red dragon with his crystal blade in hand. He unleashes barrages of precise attacks involving both thrusts and slashes from all sides. Deborah manages to dodge some and block the others using her bare arms. But unlike before, even her normal human-like arms are not enough to completely block away the crystal blade, the hero¡¯s sword cuts through her flesh like butter. Her blood soon soaks the snow on the castle wall and spreads even further as she starts retreating backward.

    ¡®That¡¯s no ordinary sword.¡¯

    No ordinary sword can have a functional blade made of pure crystal, and there¡¯s no blacksmith alive has the skill to make such a divine weapon. The only one who can lived one thousand years ago before the present, or so the books said. There¡¯s no mistaking it, this sword is one of the Hundred Regalia!

    The young hero charges forward as Deborah starts retreating, only a fool would let such a perfect chance for an attack slip by. Fino aggressively swings his sword, continuing his earlier flurries of quick but decisive attacks.

    CLANG

    But Deborah is no fool either. Using her human-like arms in a battle like this is suicide even for a dragon. Both of her arms have now been covered in red scales, tougher than any armor made in this world, they are strong enough to stop Fino¡¯s crystal blade without him making any scratches. Deborah is by no mean a skilled fighter when compared to the young hero despite his own youth, the dragon girl relies on her reflex to block the barrages of blade, and occasionally moves her legs to dodge the closing in aggressive hero.

    But even so, Fino manages to keep up. The faster Deborah reacts, the faster Fino attacks. Having his attacks blocked by dragon scale does not faze him even for a bit, he quickly finds another opening to continue pushing Deborah closer to her grave. After trading a few blows, Fino starts to realize Deborah¡¯s own inexperience expressed through the holes of her guard, the dragon girl only reacts after Fino attacks, making her always one second slower than the young hero despite being the physically faster of the two. The more Fino attacks, the more Deborah shows her openings. When the moment arrives, Fino strikes by thrusting his sword at Deborah¡¯s throat.

    -Ughh!

    The attack connects, but it¡¯s too shallow since Deborah dodges by pure reflex. Either way, Fino manages to wound the girl again, that will certainly give him some advantages to deliver a sure kill finisher, or so he thinks.

    Just before Fino can safely pull back his sword for another attack, Deborah reacts by grabbing the hero¡¯s crystal blade with her right claws. The sword is now stuck in Deborah¡¯s hand, leaving Fino himself open for attacks from the dragon girl. Fire gathers in Deborah¡¯s throat, and like the myths of old, the dragon breaths fire from its throat to burn its enemy.

    -Not good! Not good!

    Fino has no choice but to abandon his crystal sword and backflip away from Deborah¡¯s breath of fire. The fire quickly disappears after Deborah stops her breath, but the remnant of its heat still lingers in the snowing air. Fino manages to dodge in time, but now the young hero is weaponless as the result.

    Deborah stills holds the hero¡¯s weapon with her dragon claw by the blade. The young dragon focuses some strength into her arm grip. Surprisingly, the force of a dragon claw fails to make any dent in the crystal blade despite its fragile appearance. A one of a kind sword, befitting a hero of legend like her opponent.

    -Fine sword you have there.

    In an act of mercy, the young dragon throws the crystal blade back to its owner, the young hero. The thrown blade now lies lifelessly on the castle wall while its master stand bewildered from receiving the mercy of a demon.

    -Why? Why give back your enemy¡¯s weapon? You can just throw it away and end my life effortlessly.

    -You can¡¯t fight without a weapon, right? Don¡¯t you humans do the same if you are in the same situation?

    Deborah replies, an answer young Fino does not expect.

    -You are one strange demon¡­Not many demons know the common tongue of the Heaven Realm, let alone fight with a shred of honor.

    -I¡¯m a dragon before being a demon.

    -A dragon! You mean¡­the dragons were not creatures only exist in myths and legends? And you are one of them¡­?

    The young man seems genuinely surprised. But Deborah does not let that stop her from announcing her own intention.

    -Normally, I would let you go away if you¡¯re willing to retreat. But I know you won¡¯t. You are a hero, you have your own destiny to fulfill, and the only way you can do is through fighting. And even though I don¡¯t believe in it from the bottom of my heart, I too have my own duty to complete. Only one of us can leave this place alive, and I don¡¯t want to do it in a way that will leave a bad aftertaste.

    -You are a strange one indeed.

    Using his feet, the young hero lifts the blade onto the air and grabs it, resuming his battle stance afterward.

    -But I respect your resolve. Thank you, dragon girl.

    The young hero smiles, a genuine smile without any hints of hidden animosity.

    -Before we resume, can I ask you a question? What is that sword you¡¯re holding?

    For some reason, Deborah feels a bit unease from seeing that sword, even more so when she grabbed it prior. Maybe because it¡¯s the weapon of her destined nemesis? Deborah can only think of it that way. Nevertheless, seeing the strange weapon has piqued her curiosity.

    -Revealing information of my weapon to the enemy is foolish, or so I was taught. But you are honorable enough to let me have my sword back, the least I can do is to fulfill your request to repay you. Fine, I¡¯ll tell you!

    Fino turns his sword sideway and holds it using both hands with respect, as if he¡¯s presenting it to Deborah as a gift, but that¡¯s certainly not the case.

    -This is ¡¸Solais, the Sword of Purity¡¹, forged by the legendary elven smith Galileo from the purest crystals mined under the earth, one among his famed Hundred Regalias made for the Kings of the Heaven Realm. Only those with a pure heart can use this blade at its full potential. Legends told a thousand years ago, this blade was the weapon wielded by Erdrick the Savior, and the very same blade that ended the life of Demon King Dargoth.

    -Dargoth¡­!

    Deborah frozes in place, her hands tremble from the sheer shock of holding the weapon that killed her grandfather prior. This sudden revelation fills her with anxiety and confusion, making her mind a mess of chaotic emotion composed from an unknown rage and wrath. She tries to hide it inside, but even Deborah herself fails to notice her teeth sharpening into fangs as the grip of her claws become stronger and stronger.

    -This sword is the light that banishes the darkness. Just like you, I too have to fulfill my destiny, and to protect the people I care and love. Which is why¡­I will no longer hold back!

    The young hero touches the tip of his crystal blade. Suddenly, a blue light radiates from inside the crystal-clear sword. A soothing light for its allies and a burning fire for its enemies. A young man with a pure heart and his radiant sword, such a holy sight is now carved inside Deborah¡¯s memory, reminding the dragon who her true opponent actually is.

    -Prepare yourself!

    Fino swings his sword from a far, almost looking like a child practicing swordplay in an empty plain, but the sword wave made from pure light isn¡¯t something a child with a wooden sword can conjure. The pure crescent wave rushes at Deborah, forcing her to hurriedly put on her guard.

    -Urghh!

    The attack connects. Deborah manages to block part of it with her scaled arms, but the sword wave still finds a way to make deep cuts at her stomach, right shoulder and right leg. The wounds combined with her fatigue throws Deborah off balance and makes her fall on her right knee, but that doesn¡¯t stop Fino, on contrary, he¡¯s using this very chance to charge in with his holy blade.

    CLANG

    Deborah blocks Fino¡¯s blade once again with her left arm, not only that, she manages to get a grip on his blade just like earlier. But unlike before, despite being cladded in dragon scale, Deborah finds her hand bleeding from the radiated light inside the crystal blade even though her scales and claws are still intact. Deborah decides to quickly end this by throwing a punch at Fino with her free right arm.

    But unexpectedly, Fino blocks it. Not with his own bare left hand since it would be physically impossible, but instead, he conjures a white barrier made of pure light to defend himself. The light shield blocks Deborah¡¯s punch at point blank, yet even her punch fails to put a dent on his magic shield, only serves to push him back a few centimeters, but still a futile attempt nonetheless.

    -Give it up!

    Fino closes his eyes. Suddenly, his sword glows brighter and brighter, blinding the unexpected Deborah in a flash of light since she¡¯s the one closest to it. By instinct, Deborah falls back away, letting go her grip of the sword, which enables a prepared Fino to quickly pursue the blinded dragon.

    Sphhhlt!

    With a vertical strike, Fino¡¯s sword strikes down right at Deborah¡¯s left shoulder, a deep cut, almost deep enough to reach the dragon¡¯s heart if not for Deborah hardening her chest with dragon scales visible through the cracks of her tattered white shirt. Either way, her wound is extremely painful, not only because of having a sword right through her shoulder, but also thanks to the intense holy heat radiated from the blade.

    -Arghhhhhhhhhh!

    Deborah screams from the pain, and that pain turns into strength as the still blinded Deborah lights her fist on fire and hurls it at the place she thinks Fino is standing. The young hero takes out his sword and quickly puts up his magic shield for impact.

    BAM!

    The attack hits, which sends Fino flying away, but Deborah¡¯s punch fails to break Fino¡¯s own light magic barrier. The young hero safely lands on his feet away from Deborah¡¯s reach. But even so, despite the presence of his shield, the strength of an angry dragon isn¡¯t something to be trifled.

    -Well, I never thought it would be an easy task¡­

    Fino¡¯s left arm limps down, with his magic shield made of light slowly disappears into thin air. It receives most of the blunt force made by Deborah¡¯s punch, but not all of them, a part of it gets sent back to the caster when it no longer able to contain such a force. A mere feedback, yet it has already broken most of the bones in his left hand. The young hero can¡¯t feel his left hand moving any more, but he¡¯s not groaning in pain despite having every reasons to. Part excitement, part fear, those emotions overwhelm the young Fino to lure his pain away, even for a moment.

    On the side of Deborah, her wounds slowly heal back to normal, but the strain the healing process puts on her body starts showing signs that Deborah is at her limit. She can barely manage to get up, and when she stands the girl still have trouble keeping her balance without falling. Her eyesight returns after being blinded only to see the still vigorous Fino with his sword Solais on his right arm, without any knowledge of his broken remaining arm.

    ¡®I can¡¯t win...I can¡¯t win against him¡­¡¯

    If this keeps up, the one who dies will be Deborah. Such a pessimistic thought crosses her mind for once. Her body tattered, her strength waned away, her will shaken, Deborah can''t defeat Fino alone.

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    ¡®Should I call for help?¡¯

    If she yells loud enough, maybe Iola and Caelan will turn back to help her fight the hero. With their strength combined with her own, victory won''t be a mere fantasy.

    ¡®But...it''s too dangerous for them.¡¯

    The last thing Deborah wants is to sic her friends against a hero of the Heaven Realm, to make them fight a seemingly undefeatable opponent. Their lives are not hers to casually throw away for the sake of victory.

    ¡®I can''t involve them¡­I have to do this alone.¡¯

    Deborah grinds her fangs and strengthens the grip of her fists. Barely, just barely, Deborah resumes her fighting stance, ready for one last go. On her opposite, Fino does the same, preparing his sword with his right arm, leaving his wounded arm hanging. The two of them already know what to do, and they accept what needs to be done.

    But¡­before the two manage to have one last go, something stop them, or rather, Fino. A trident, on his head now lies the tip of a trident, put there by a brand new combatant who appears through the lines of the retreated soldier.

    -Why so eager, kid? It¡¯s not like the castle is going to run away from you.

    -Oka!

    The new combatant seems to be a friend of the young hero. A tall man with tanned skin, hidden behind a layer of clothes made from fur to combat the cold. He has short black hair, sea blue eyes and a jovial appearance. The most noticeable feature the man has are his teeth, they are sharp like a shark¡¯s. The Unda teeth, according the books Deborah read. The residents of the Kingdom of Unda live by the sea and carry a part of its essence, manifested through their shark-like teeth. They are unrivaled in water combat. But a castle wall is hardly an ideal battlefield for a glorified fisherman.

    But the appearance of the man named Oka is the least of her concerns. Oka is not the only reinforcement the young hero has. Behind the fisherman with the trident are two other people, one is a witch with average height, wearing your typical mage garb which is gray in color accompanied by the same witch hat, the only thing that separates this young witch and the other witch Deborah knows is her long forest green hair, tied to a pony tail. Just like Nilrem, the witch, or rather wizard according to the term coined by the Heaven Realm, uses a magic staff as her weapon, with a green gemstone at the top to act as the amplifier for her magic.

    The remaining one is a short human, though the more accurate term would be a dwarf. He¡¯s half the size of the young wizard accompanying him. The dwarf wears a light chainmail combined with fur, and his weapon is an axe with a pole long enough to make his height irrelevant. Like all the dwarf, he has a rather long if not a bit fuzzy burnt orange hair. Unlike all the dwarf, his beard is clean shaven, and rather than a grumpy old man, the dwarf has a handsome face like an elven work of art, though that beautiful face is ruined somewhat by his grumpy and sour attitude, even more so than your typical dwarf.

    -Anna! Alan! You¡¯re here!

    -If we¡¯re not here, then where should we be? Dumbass kid! Nobody told you to rush out on your own, and you just had to disobey and hop on the nearest trebuchet! If not for this being the battlefield, I would tell you to lower your head down so that I can smack some smart into your empty heroic brain!

    The handsome dwarf shouts out loud. Despite their status, Fino reacts with fear from the dwarf half his size rather than the dragon he¡¯s fighting against.

    -Come now, old Alan. That¡¯s one of his strong point. What good lies in a man who waits first and acts later? The ladies like someone who knows when to take the initiative, after all.

    The female wizard winks seductively at the young hero, which he fails to notice any hidden meanings except from knowing he is praised. Unsurprisingly, considering he¡¯s the wielder of the Sword of Purity¡­

    -Anyway, that¡¯s not important! The opponent I¡¯m fighting isn¡¯t someone to be trifled with. She¡¯s a dragon, a being I thought only existed in myths and legends. But after fighting her, I know the strength of a dragon is the real deal.

    Fino touches his broken left arm as if to demonstrate his point.

    -She¡¯s dangerous, and I don¡¯t want you guys to fight such a dangerous opponent. I must do this alone!

    CLANG

    The man named Oka suddenly hit the young hero in the head with the blunt side of his trident.

    -Ouch! That hurts! What¡¯s the deal with this, Oka!?

    -That¡¯s for being an idiot.

    Oka laughs. He walks forward to the front of the hero and points the tip of his trident toward Deborah.

    -If your opponent is that dangerous, then the more reason for us to join the fray!

    Oka grins, leaving bare his shark teeth for all to see.

    -How many time do we have to remind you, Sera Fino, Hero of Metallum?

    The young wizard gets to the front of Fino together with the dwarf, making a defensive line and block the young hero away from harm.

    -You are not alone!

    The wizard named Anna proudly declares. Three of the hero¡¯s companions prepare their weapons with the full intent of fighting Deborah. The dragon girl can only stand there and watch as her new enemies arrive. Their conversation has gave her some time to recover her strength, but it won¡¯t be enough for the battle to come. From a mere look, Deborah gauzes that they are as strong as her friend Caelan and Iola, if not stronger, combined with the hero himself. If Deborah stays with her current power, her strength won¡¯t be enough to deal with all of them.

    ¡°If¡± she stays with her ¡°current power¡±.

    ¡®Should I break another layer¡­?¡¯

    -You guys¡­

    The hero stands dumbfounded.

    -Come to think of it, that¡¯s a beautiful enemy you got there, Fino. I won¡¯t mind going for a few rounds with her!

    Oka readies his trident, but not without making a meaningless banter. In the place where the tips of his trident diverse lies a blue gemstone, similar to the type on Anna¡¯s magic staff.

    -One more word and it won¡¯t be the dragon who¡¯ll be the end of you.

    The dwarf Alan also readies his axe, it doesn¡¯t seem to be something abnormal unlike Oka¡¯s own trident.

    -Oohh¡­Papa Dwarf is scary today¡­

    -I¡¯ll cover your rear, go get her.

    The wizard Anna starts chanting her own spells, contented with fighting in the back behind her warriors.

    -Well, Anna. Our asses are yours! Let¡¯s go!

    -Right! Let us go!

    Yells Fino. With Oka¡¯s lead, the three melee fighters rush at Deborah, while the ranged caster stays back to prepare her support. A classic tactic, which will be very effective when fighting the lone Deborah who only has herself to care for.

    ¡®There¡¯s no other choice¡­I have to risk it!¡¯

    Deborah has already made her choice. There¡¯s one trump card left for her to use. A risky card that Deborah prefers not to use at all cost, but the human warriors don¡¯t give her the freedom to choose.

    Deborah conjures a ball of fire in her right hand and throws it to the ground in front of her, resulting in a wall of fire blocking away the attacking humans and dwarf. A mere trick to buy time, but the hero and his companions don¡¯t expect it to be nothing more than a desperate attack.

    -Little help here, Anna!

    Oka shouts.

    -One little help coming right up!

    From afar, Anna finishes chanting her spell. Soul energy gathers around the place the human warriors are standing, and a small snowstorm appears at Deborah¡¯s firewall. A struggle of heat and cold which Deborah would normally win if she continues to keep up the firewall, but she has other businesses to attend to, and thus, her firewall falls from the assault of the snow, though the snow themselves melt from the pure heat after doing their job.

    -Thanks for the help!

    Oka shouts once again.

    -She¡¯s preparing a spell!

    Light gathers around Deborah as Fino realizes what she¡¯s doing behind the firewall. A spell of unknown kind, but that doesn¡¯t look like a good sign for the brave heroes.

    -Sorry if this hurts!

    Oka grins. The gem in the middle of his trident glows, and the vaporized water from the snow earlier starts to gather into tiny balls of water, which numbers in the hundred. As per his command, the water balls fly at Deborah with the speed comparable to Akuma¡¯s bullets.

    ¡¸O mi???y ?ob? o? olb.

    H??b ??? wo?b? o? ??i? ?in?ul d?in?. ¡¹

    The water bullets connect, but Deborah still stands unflinching as if the bleeding wounds she received from the water balls are as trivial as a bruise. Nonetheless, Deborah continues chanting, and has finished the first verse.

    ¡¸???in?b ?w?y ??om ??? wo?lb.

    ?o???b uq ?o ??? b??q??? ?dy??. ¡¹

    As Deborah quickly chants the second verse, Alan has already in the range for his axe to make a difference. The dwarf swings his axe with the intent to sever Deborah¡¯s head, which Deborah manages to block despite being in the middle of chanting.

    What she doesn¡¯t expect is the dwarf half her size has the strength capable of sending Deborah herself flying merely by his physical force alone.

    -Oraaaaa!

    Fino and Oka continues charging and run past Alan. Right when Deborah lands, the two of them swiftly throws flurries of attack. Deborah dodges some and blocks others, but there¡¯s a limit for defending herself while chanting the spell.

    ¡¸?u? I d?? o? ????, li???n ?o my ql??¡­

    §Á?l???? m? ??om my¡­qu????o?y. ¡¹

    -It¡¯s over!

    Oka thrusts his trident right at Deborah¡¯s bare throat, leaving an opening for Fino to rushes in for an attack at Deborah¡¯s chest with the intent to finally ending the battle.

    ¡¸?o? ????? ???¡­wo?lb? ?o du?n ?nb ?l??? ?o¡­?????!¡¹

    But their attempts prove to be futile as Deborah finishes her chants despite having a trident in her throat.

    BOOM

    The ground around Deborah explodes and is now engulfed in a sea of fire. Luckily, Oka reacts fast enough to pull Fino and himself out of danger. They quickly rendezvous with their companions in preparation for the horror yet to come.

    The fire fades, and through the smoke lies Deborah¡¯s figure. She stands in the middle of the fading fire, her throat starts to heal to normal. From a simple look, Deborah doesn¡¯t look any different than before, at first, but the four heroes know something is wrong from the pure killing intent radiated from the dragon girl.

    -We¡¯re in deep shit¡­

    Oka swears, for good reason.

    A fire starts to burn out from Deborah¡¯s body, and it stays there without fading away like some sort of protective aura. Deborah now looks like a human torch, but the fire doesn¡¯t harm her nor her clothes, yet the hero and his companions can still feel the heat in the air, and know they will get burned if they get too close to the dragon. But that¡¯s just the start.

    Deborah¡¯s pair of plain black shoes suddenly explode, revealing a pair of dragon feet covered in scale and talons. Beneath her long plain skirt now lies another unexpected feature ¨C a tail, a dragon¡¯s red tail waving behind her back. But the most noticeable thing in Deborah¡¯s appearance are a pair of black horns growing on her head out of nowhere, and her red eyes now have red sclera and slit pupils like a hungry beast.

    -GRAWRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

    The dragon girl roars, her voice no longer has any hint of sanity inside, replaced by the howl of a beast seeking for prey and carnage. And the heroes can only do nothing but stand and hear the dragon¡¯s roar.

    The dragon has truly been awakened.

 Chapter 47: The dragonéˆ¥æªš rage

    The dragon girl stands in the midst of the fire, staring at the brave heroes with her blood red eyes, yet despite her rage the dragon girl remains idle without doing anything. But still, her stare gets more intense over time, this isn¡¯t merely the watchful eyes of one opponent to another, but the savory gaze of a predator waiting for her preys to slip up an opening before starting the hunt.

    -This doesn¡¯t look good, Fino¡­

    Says Oka. The heroes fall back and keep their distance away from the dragon. Despite Deborah¡¯s new powers, both sides remain in a stalemate without anyone making the first move, at least for the time being.

    -We need to retreat. I have a bad feeling about this¡­

    -Not yet! Not until all our allies have finished retreating! I can¡¯t let loose a dragon on their back and watch the slaughter from afar!

    The young hero replies the sailor with his sword points toward the dragon girl.

    -Well said. But be sure to back up your claim. Nobody wants to follow a hero who can¡¯t make good use of their promise.

    The dwarf readies his axe.

    -Do not show her mercy, Fino. She was the one who killed our friend Gust.

    Fino¡¯s right hand trembles for a moment from hearing Alan¡¯s words, but the young hero quickly calms himself down and just simply nods.

    -Yeah, I know.

    -Watch out, she¡¯s coming!

    Oka shouts. From afar, Deborah gets down on all four like a savage beast. After a roar, the frenzied dragon launches herself away from the ground into the air, leaving behind a huge crater from the sheer amount of force used to propel her away.

    -GARGHHHHHH!!

    While still in the midair, Deborah breaths out a huge fireball from her mouth. Unlike the fire she used before, this fireball is the size of a small lake and more like a meteor in shape, and it¡¯s coming down fast. Even if they run away it may still be too late. The moment the fireball makes contact, everything within the blast radius will be incinerated into ashes.

    -Not on my watch!

    But the young female wizard has anticipated such a thing may happen and has already prepared a counter spell prior, when her male companions were still in the middle of chit chat. With a wave of her staff, the remaining snow from both the wall and the ground below starts to gather to the air above the three warriors, forming a huge barrier made of snow in mid-air to counter the fireball meteor made by Deborah.

    The barrier and the fireball makes contact. Part of the snow melts away from the intense heat, and part of the fire disappears thanks to the stubborn freezing snow enhanced through skillful use of Verbal Magic and soul energy concentration. But, to stop a fireball that caliber, the barrier Anna used must be a type that focuses on blocking away magic, especially fire, which by itself creates a gap so that the feral Deborah can physically slip through away effortlessly.

    -Scramble!

    Oka shouts as Deborah makes her entrance through her fireball and Anna¡¯s snow barrier, destroying a chunk of the castle wall with her landing alone. Despite going through the very same fire she created, Deborah¡¯s body and clothes are still intact even when her body is being lit on fire like a torch, as if the dragon is blessed by fire itself. Her glowing red hair under the burning fire looks like pretty sparks of embers, signifying the beauty of the young girl, if only her tender hands aren¡¯t replaced by rough claws or her ruby eyes with small pools filled with blood. And now, that very beauty is now screaming like a feral untamed beast and attacking the human warriors like the savage she is.

    With her two arms, Deborah simultaneously attacks both Oka and Fino while using her newly grown dragon tail to give Alan his own share of beating. Unlike the Deborah of before, her newfound power doesn¡¯t simply give her more strength to unleash, it also gives her the brutality needed to become a true beast, and it is brutal indeed. Gentle punches have been replaced with sharp claws capable of tearing stones to shred, and without a moral restrain, Deborah now employs liberal use of her agony-inducing dragon fire whenever possible. Fino quickly finds fighting a wild dragon with only one arm isn¡¯t a good idea as he gets bashed away from blocking Deborah¡¯s claws attacks. Only Oka and Alan remain while Anna is still busy trying to maintain the barrier keeping the falling fireball above them, but even then, holding a dragon at bay by itself is no easy task, let alone a mad one in the middle of a thirst for blood.

    -Feisty one, aren¡¯t ya?

    Oka and Alan attack in conjunction, one from the front, one from the back. Oka¡¯s trident thrusts are fast and numerous, but they only serve nothing more than a mere distraction considering even with his full force Oka¡¯s attacks barely manage to make a scratch on Deborah¡¯s scale. And at the opposite, despite his strength, Alan can¡¯t even make his attack connect. Deborah¡¯s tail is essentially her third arm, it can be as powerful and bashful as her punches with the perk of having none of Deborah¡¯s mercy. As soon as Alan gets in his position to attack Deborah¡¯s back, he finds himself becoming a target for a beating from the dragon¡¯s tail and forced to block and retreat. But that¡¯s not the end of their nightmare.

    -RAWRGHH!

    Deborah is no longer the sheep she once was. She simply doesn¡¯t contend with blocking away the futile attempts to harm her. Now, the dragon is actively seeking bloodshed to satisfy her hunger. Deborah makes the young sailor her first target, she rushes at him like a mad dog, forcing him to defend for his own life. From all sides, Deborah attacks the sailor without giving him a second to breath. The only hope Oka has now lies in the durability of his weapon, which despite its magic casting ability isn¡¯t a weapon in the same caliber as Fino¡¯s sword Solias. The longer this goes on, the more Oka feels like he has been sucked into to a maelstrom filled with despair in the middle of the sea of destruction. The moment his trident breaks will be the end of his life.

    -Don¡¯t turn your back to your enemy!

    Alan exploits Deborah¡¯s attention on his teammate and makes a move. He slams his axe down the castle wall, and with all his strength and soul energy, the dwarf tears a part of the stone wall off the ground and hurls those stones at Deborah. The chunks of earth quickly rush toward Deborah like a stream of water.

    -ARGGHHH!

    But to Deborah, Alan¡¯s technique is nothing but a mere annoyance. With a quick turn of her back, Deborah prepares her left arm and bashes away all the stone conjured by Alan through sheer strength alone, hurling those very same rock toward the dwarf and forces him to taste his own poison. However, that small window of distraction gives Oka enough time to fall back, but that doesn¡¯t mark the end of Deborah¡¯s obsession with her prey.

    -She¡¯s bad news alright¡­

    Oka mumbles. Right at that moment, Deborah goes on all four and charges at him to continue her hunt. Oka has prepared himself for another struggle. But he fails to notice that Fino has already charged forward to intercept Deborah by himself.

    -This stops now!!

    The young hero screams. His sword glows as he swings it in mid-air, which creates several sword waves made from pure light to attack Deborah. The dragon doesn¡¯t even bother to block and let the sword waves hit her body, as if she instinctively knows Fino¡¯s attacks won¡¯t be able to stop her, let alone threaten her life. Her body is bleeding, drenching the stone tiles with blood, but like an eternal fire, her wounds heal faster than the damage Fino can cause from afar. As soon as Deborah gets in range, the feral dragon launches herself at Fino like a straight arrow, she bares not her claws but her fangs instead, aiming to have a taste of the hero in the most literal sense.

    -Get away, idiot!

    Oka quickly rushes to Fino¡¯s side, grabs his shirt and throws the young hero away from harm, fast enough to protect Fino, but too late to protect himself.

    -Arghhhhhhhh!

    -Oka!

    Deborah¡¯s fangs find themselves stuck deep in Oka¡¯s right arm, and it doesn¡¯t end with a simple bite, Deborah pushes more strength down to her fang and sinks them deeper into the sailor¡¯s flesh, all while shaking her prey like a ragdoll either to make it easier for her to feast, or simply to cause more pain for her wounded prey.

    -Damn¡­it¡­!

    The intense pain hinders any of Oka¡¯s attempts to free himself. He¡¯s now at Deborah¡¯s mercy, if she still has any left beneath her hunger for blood.

    -Let him go you ugly lizard!

    Alan jumps up with his axe in hand for a surprise attack in the back, but Deborah doesn¡¯t even need to turn her back around to deal with the dwarf, her tail grabs the dwarf in mid-air and slams him on the ground like a mere useless pebble and only releases him when she gets bored with her new toy, leaving him lies on the ground in the middle of his own pool of blood. Her interest with Oka also ends when she devours a part of his arm and swallows the meat down her throat, leaving the wounded sailor lies helplessly with a half-eaten arm. Now, her gaze is fixed upon Fino, the nearest prey in her path. Inside her blood-filled red eyes, Fino senses some sort of twisted tranquility that doesn¡¯t belong to a mere feral beast. At this moment, Fino knows he¡¯s facing a true dragon in flesh and blood, the presence of the pacifist girl he fought before has vanished without a trace.

    But even so, Fino can¡¯t let fear overwhelming himself. His friends are in dire need of his help. He has no time to even feel fear. There¡¯s only one thing left for him to do, and it¡¯s simple enough.

    -You bastard!

    Suddenly, Fino¡¯s sword glows even brighter than before, his broken left arm also glows just like his sword, and before he knows it, the broken bones inside his arm have mended themselves back to normal, effectively healing his arm as if his injuries prior never existed. But Fino has no time to be amazed, his friends are on the brink of death, he can¡¯t afford to waste more time.

    -Take this!

    Fino swings his left arm in midair and conjures four swords made of pure light from his magic. He launches his magic swords and charges simultaneously behind them. The magic swords hit their target, but they are merely a distraction. As Deborah herself charges toward Fino in retaliation, the young man rolls down to dodge Deborah¡¯s incoming claw, and even manages to slip in a slash right in her stomach. That barely fazes the dragon girl, Fino knows that, but his goal is no longer trying to stop the dragon.

    -Hang in there, both of you!

    Leaving Deborah behind his back, Fino rushes toward his fallen friends. With a simple touch, the light radiated from his left arm transmits itself into his friends¡¯ body, luring death away from them. Oka starts moving again, albeit slowly, while Alan barely manages to keep his breath, but the dwarf¡¯s body is too badly beaten to even lift a finger or open an eye.

    -Fino! Watch out!

    Anna shouts from afar, which notices the hero of the charging dragon behind him, with her stomach wound already healed. The only one standing between Deborah and his two friends are himself, and so, Fino holds his sword with both hands, preparing for the incoming dragon.

    Once again, Deborah makes a jump to midair, with fire concentrates inside the palm of her claw. She roars as she dives down to the direction of Fino and his friends. The young hero is prepared, but he¡¯s not confident in whether or not he and his friends will make it for another day.

    But soon, hope comes in the most unexpected way by the help of an arrow that hits Deborah¡¯s back. Not just any ordinary arrow, but one that is almost as long as an iron spear and shot with a force so strong it sends Deborah flying along with it instead of merely stuck in her back. Not enough to stop her for good, but it buys enough time for the reinforcement of the reinforcement to arrive.

    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    From afar behind Anna¡¯s location, a rider on a white horse makes his entrance with a wooden bow almost as big as its owner, it¡¯s an amazing feat by itself considering this hunk of a man is two meters tall in total. His arms are packed in layers of muscles beneath the plain green clothes of a simple elven archer, betraying the grace and refined imagine from someone from a supposedly ¡°high¡± race. Even with his gold-like wavy long hair, the mustache near his nose combined with manly facial features hardened through testosterone have made people wonder whether his elf ears are really just a fake decoration. But enough about the elven archer, he brings alongside him two horses, one is a common war horse not too hard to find anywhere, the other one is not so common, as it has a horn on its head along with a strange mythical aura radiating from its white skin and wavy tail.

    A unicorn.

    -Fino! Here¡¯s your mount! The other guys have already retreated! We need to pull out of here!

    -Egil!

    The elven archer named Egil shouts while he prepares his bow and shoots another spear-size arrow toward the dragon. The arrow hits Deborah, but the girl blocks it without being pushed back thanks to having a foothold on the walls. Despite having an arrow the size of a spear stuck in her back, the dragon calmly plucks it out off her body and crush the two arrows with her claws.

    -Alan got knocked out. Can you get him out of this place, Oka?

    Fino helps the sailor get up from the ground. The huge chunk of lost meat on his arm really makes it hard for the sailor to function like normal, but he nods to confirm his newfound duty. With Fino¡¯s help, the sailor gets on the war horse with the unconscious dwarf behind him, preparing to make their leave.

    -Incoming!

    The elf shouts. From afar, Deborah comes charging on all four. The distance is long enough for the elf to make several shots, which he does. Another arrow takes flight away from his longbow.

    CLANG!

    But this time, it gets easily deflected by Deborah¡¯s claws. Egil once again draws his bow, but his next arrow doesn¡¯t make any new progress and gets unceremoniously deflected away by the dragon again.

    -I¡¯m going to need a bigger bow¡­

    By this time, Fino has already got on the back of his unicorn and Oka also started riding away. Egil turns his horse backward, but not without making another shot at stopping Deborah before the dragon comes closer and prepares to tear them all apart.

    -She¡¯s too fast! If we don¡¯t move now, we won¡¯t make it!

    Fino shouts at the elven archer. Strangely, the hunk of an elf only replies with a smile, not a smile of confidence, but it¡¯s still strange considering their situation.

    Suddenly, as Deborah in the middle of running toward the human heroes, she finds her body slammed into an invisible barrier, or more precise, a trap made from four physical barriers from all sides, which are moving closer in an attempt to crush her until not a piece of meat remain.

    Fino only knows one person who can use barrier magic this strong, and that¡¯s the same person who just gives Oka and Alan a brief healing spell as they ride past her into safety. That person is riding a black horse. A girl wearing a white priestess robe, holding on her left hand a medium length magic staff which - unlike the kind mostly used by witches ¨C it has a regal and dignified air within it since it was made from steel mixed with gold instead of simply wood. The most noticeable aspect of her appearance isn¡¯t her neatly cut raven black short hair, but a pair of black cat ears sticking out from her hair instead. This cute yet dignified priestess isn¡¯t human, but a beastman originated from the Cat clan.

    -Elisha!

    Fino shouts the name of his childhood friend. Right at this moment, the trapped Deborah roars, and the atmosphere around her becomes so intense it feels like there¡¯s an invisible earthquake happening in the air.

    -ARGHHHHHHHHHH!

    Through sheer overwhelming soul energy alone, the dragon breaks free away from the barrier box made by the cat priestess Elisha. And now, her gaze starts to fixed on the hero and his companions once again.

    -You need to get out of there!

    As per command of the young catgirl, Fino and Egil rides their horse away from Deborah. At this moment, the wizard Anna cancels the snow barrier above, letting Deborah have a taste of her own fire as it comes crashing down and vaporizes the walls she¡¯s standing on. But then again, that won¡¯t help much considering how she went through her own fire earlier. The wizard Anna gets on behind of Elisha¡¯s horse, and together with Fino and Egil, the heroic mercenaries ride away from danger.

    But that¡¯s simply the start of another game of the hunter and the hunted.

    Enraged, the feral Deborah roars again and chases behind the riders on all four. The wall on their part of the castle is already empty with the retreat of the human soldiers, but the feral dragon no longer cares about the absence of her fellow allied demon soldiers, now, only her preys matter.

    -Stubborn monster!

    With the combined force of Egil¡¯s arrows, Fino¡¯s light swords and Elisha¡¯s homing light bolts, Deborah finds her path blocked by various attempts to kill her. But none of them works, it doesn¡¯t matter how many wounds she suffered nor how exhausted she was prior to her transformation, Deborah¡¯s rage is enough to sustain her hunger for blood and her regeneration power. And she keeps moving forward, neither gods nor demons have the power to stop her now. Nothing can.

    -We¡¯ll divert our path here!

    The elf Egil points his bow toward a road that doesn¡¯t exist on the castle wall: a stone bridge leading to the land of the Demon Realm, created by the mage Niccolo¡¯s spell at the start of the siege. That¡¯s the same path the elf and the cat girl took to come for their hero¡¯s aid. The heroes hop on the stone bridge and start riding away from Melas castle, but the stubborn dragon behind them still hasn¡¯t given up the chase.

    -ARGHHHHHHHH!

    Deborah shoots some fireballs at the heroes, but the way the bridge was made makes it hard for the feral dragon to get an accurate shot. Deborah has no choice but to give chase for an up close and personal hunt, though with her current state of mind, it¡¯s ambiguous if Deborah can even aware her actions come from choices and decisions rather than pure predatory instincts.

    -She just doesn¡¯t know how to give up, doesn¡¯t she!?

    Egil laughs despite the fact that there is a bloodthirsty dragon chasing behind their back.

    -If this keeps up, she will make her way toward our allies! We need to stop her somehow!

    Elisha looks at Fino, as if expecting her childhood friend to do something or else the ensuring result won¡¯t be pretty. The hero himself closes his eyes for a second, before opening them wide when determination fills his resolve.

    -I¡¯ll try to stop her. You guys get to safety before me!

    -Fino!

    Anna shouts.

    -Anna, Egil! Protect Elisha for me! I¡¯ll depend on you guys for that!

    The elf and the hero exchange gazes, and the hunk archer quickly accepts his comrade¡¯s plea.

    -Don¡¯t go and get yourself killed!

    -Of course!

    Fino commands his unicorn to run slower to keep a closer distance to Deborah, but not close enough to make himself an easy prey served on a silver plate. The two horses in front of him have already ran away with their fastest speed.

    Soon, all of them will reach the mainland of the Demon Realm, where another battlefield awaits, and Fino won¡¯t risk turning that battlefield into a slaughter ground for the dragon chasing behind him.

    -Arghhh!

    Fino¡¯s sword glows, and with all his strength, he throws his sword away, not toward Deborah as a desperate attempt to halt her track, but to the front of the stone bridge ahead of him. The glowing sword is now stuck on the surface on the stone bridge, but from its tip, Fino¡¯s soul energy has already found its way beneath the layers of stone.

    -Now or never!

    Fino slides to the side of his unicorn and grabs back his sword from the stone bridge. Right at that moment, the part stuck by the sword prior suddenly explodes, making the bridge itself falls apart, along with Deborah who¡¯s in the wrong end of the bridge and finds herself falling down to the dark valley beneath the castle.

    Fino more or less stopped Deborah, but he himself also isn¡¯t safe from harm. His part of the bridge is also on the verge of crumbling away. His destination is close, and all his friends have already got their foothold in safety, only he remains to play a game of dice with fate and destiny. Will he make it before the bridge collapse completely?

    -Come on Fino! You can do it!

    Egil shouts as Fino rides his unicorn with the fastest speed it can afford.

    But that fails to get Fino to safety in time. Just before Fino¡¯s unicorn makes it to the mainland, the bridge completely collapses and makes it fall down to the valley just like Deborah prior.

    -FINO!

    But what kind of story would let a hero die before his final confrontation?

    Fino¡¯s unicorn starts sprouting a pair of feathered wings made from pure light, the unicorn flies itself out of harm away along with Fino on its back and safely lands right after.

    -Huh¡­what a show off¡­

    Still half dead on the back on a horse, the sailor Oka comments as the more healthy companions of the hero start gathering around their object of devotion. Though rather than being showered in praises, Fino quickly finds his head being attacked repeatedly by either Egil¡¯s fist or Elisha¡¯s staff, which some stealth attacks contributed by the wizard Anna. Certainly not the celebration a hero expected.

    -That was reckless of you! Please never do something like that again!

    The cat girl cries. She rushes at Fino and hugs him tight, right after contributing her own share of beating on the hero¡¯s head along with the elf Egil.

    -I know¡­I¡¯m sorry¡­Though you don¡¯t have to hit me like that¡­

    The cat girl lets go of her embrace and starts blushing instead when she awares what she just did.

    -That¡¯s for making me worried. I hate it when you always take the most dangerous jobs yourself¡­What should I do if you are no longer around in this world?

    -Making a girl cry makes you a bad man, Fino. No hero should have make any girls cry!

    -I know, I know! Jeez, stop hitting me!

    Fino replies the elf while trying to block his head away from further harm.

    -I¡¯m sorry, Elisha. I won¡¯t be reckless again.

    -You promise?

    -I promise!

    Fino smiles as he proclaims his promise to the cute cat girl.

    -Pinky swear?

    -Pinky swear!

    The hero makes a pinky swear with the cat girl. They look like a pair of children playing house together, but it¡¯s not like Fino¡¯s other companions would complain about that. Without their weapons to fight and duties to fulfill, they are still teenagers awaiting a new future ahead.

    That¡¯s why all of them took arms to fight, in order to make the future an era of peace without wars.

    -So¡­what¡¯s the next course of action now, leader?

    Anna asks the young hero.

    -I doubt this will be our last encounter with that dragon, we need to report back to Theo now!

 Chapter 48: The rain of fire

    ¡¸Melas Castle¡¯s Entrance ¨C Morning¡¹

    Despite everything that happened with Origen, I find myself being dragged along by the Headmaster to accompany her for some reason. I¡¯m exhausted from fighting and no longer have any bullets left to use, even if she gives me a sword I doubt I will be much use other than being her meat shield. But nonetheless, Nilrem insisted on having me coming with her to rendezvous with the demon army. Well, maybe she can find some use for me at the frontline, I still have enough stamina to make some difference. This siege is far from over, even with Origen¡¯s death.

    Even so, although I¡¯m not having any problem with accompanying the Headmaster, her new appearance still baffles me to no end¡­The old woman I know from the days before has became a girl even younger than me in age and appearance, yet deep down I know the girl in the witch robe is still my elder in both spirit and authority. I¡¯m confused, really really confused.

    ¡°You¡¯re slowing down. Are you out of your breath already?¡±

    Says Nilrem as we trek along the hallways toward our destination ¨C Melas¡¯s entrance hall.

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it¡­¡±

    I silently reply. My training with Caelan gave me an acceptable enough stamina, so even after that battle I can still manage to keep up despite my wounds. The problem isn¡¯t because of me, but her instead. I can¡¯t just say out loud that her new appearance is confusing me.

    Although I think I don¡¯t need to say it out loud, her smug grin has already told me she¡¯s aware of it.

    ¡°Are you bewitched by this vessel?¡±

    Says the witch as she flips her silky gray hair to taunt me.

    ¡°No¡­what makes you think like that?¡±

    I reply.

    ¡°Well, you¡¯re a young man at that age, so your behavior is only natural. I¡¯m not judging or anything. Although, despite my earlier proposal, I suddenly remember that this youthful body is barely a day old, so it¡¯s actually illegal, you know? I suggest you go for Deborah for the time being.¡±

    ¡°Stop confusing me, damn it!¡±

    Goddamn, she used to be only annoying, now she¡¯s annoying and sexy! The perfect combo to ruin a young man¡¯s sanity! I don¡¯t remember Nilrem acting flirty like this before, maybe she¡¯s using her new young body for all its worth just so she can screw with my mind, something she¡¯s very good at.

    The witch girl giggles before resuming the conversation.

    ¡°Now that¡¯s more like something you would normally say.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    Now I¡¯m really confused. What¡¯s her true intention?

    ¡°War changes people, for the better or worse. But that¡¯s not a reason for you to lose sight of your own self. Don¡¯t make the face of a war veteran just because of one battle, it doesn¡¯t fit you. You¡¯re still young, it¡¯s okay to change, but don¡¯t let guilt and fear weight you down, that will only change you for the worse.¡±

    So that¡¯s why¡­

    ¡°Learn from the experience, but try to keep what makes you you. You never know when you¡¯ll become someone else, after all. Just try what you can, and don¡¯t regret about the things that happened. If Bjarni is still here, he¡¯ll probably say you¡¯re ten years too early to even think you know what war is about, haha.¡±

    She¡¯s trying to cheer me up in her own way. I¡­don¡¯t really know what to say. I always think she¡¯s just a heartless person who only cares about her goals, whatever that maybe. But maybe¡­she¡¯s not always that bad.

    ¡°Thanks¡­Headmaster.¡±

    The witch just smiles.

    ¡°Though that being said, you being tense like that is what makes it so fun to tease you.¡±

    Okay, I really want to take back what I thought about her earlier.

    ¡°Oh, we have arrived already.¡±

    Before I have my chance to snap back at the headmaster, we find ourselves arriving at the castle entrance to the West, where our battlefield awaits¡­that is¡­if the gate separating the castle with the outside battlefield is open, but it¡¯s not. Right now, under the gate lie a bunch of soldiers trying to seal off the entrance with everything they can get their hands on, backing them up is a small group of battle mages who are aiming their staff at the entrance without making any spells, behind all those are the remaining soldiers with weapons in hand. The total number is about a hundred, I would normally say that¡¯s a lot, but considering the fierce siege they experienced, a hundred maybe all that¡¯s left from the force defending Melas castle.

    With Nilrem leading the way, we approach the group of mages led by the teacher from the Magic Arts Department, Walpurga. She seems to be the one in charge of all these soldiers.

    ¡°Situation report, Walpurga.¡±

    Says Nilrem. There are no signs of the flirty persona she put on earlier, now, she¡¯s the Headmaster in charge of Melas castle.

    ¡°It¡¯s bad, Headmaster. Very bad¡­¡±

    The woman looks grim as if she just experienced a very bad day, though the same can be said for all of us, and especially me.

    ¡°How bad it is?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll know soon enough, Headmaster¡­¡±

    I don¡¯t like the vagueness in the teacher¡¯s words, and I think the Headmaster has the same thought. However, when the closed gate suddenly budges as if there¡¯s a flowing river in the other side, I know we will soon realize the true meaning behind Walpurga¡¯s words.

    BAM!

    The gate violently moves, and the men holding it continue to try their best at keeping it at bay. The mages fortify their formation and create a support barrier to help the soldiers, but all of those combined efforts do naught to stop the impending doom. As if knowing things will get bad, the Headmaster walks to the front and waits behind her soldiers, preparing her staff for battle, while I can only stay in the back knowing my current strength is useless help combat whatever behind that gate.

    And eventually, the gate breaks. What comes after the broken gate is a horde of¡­walking trees?

    -RAWRRRHHH!

    Dead trees that used to surround the area near Melas castle, now, they are animated by some sort of mystical force, turning them into a fearsome force of nature. Each tree is three meters tall, with roots as their legs and branches as their arms. The whole dead forest somehow has banded together to become a horde of walking trees and aid the humans in their conquest of Melas castle.

    With the walking trees as their vanguard, the enemy forces break down the first line of defense like a fragile twig. The demon soldiers get crushed by their feet or have their torso pierced through by the trees. Swords and spears can do little when facing an army of walking angry trees. Those who are lucky to go unnoticed by the trees find themselves luckier to meet their end by the supporting human soldiers coming from the back.

    ¡°Soldiers! Fall back!¡±

    Nilrem shouts her order. It¡¯s already futile to keep a defense position right at the gate. The woman commands the few mages we have left to attack the trees with fire magic, but what damage can a few exhausted mage do to a horde of walking tree? The fighting has took a toll on the mages, the fire they create are weak and pitiful, their fire lit a few trees into walking torches, but even that barely stop them from marching to our doom. If the mages try to cast another spell, their soul energy will be exhausted, and they¡¯ll die. But¡­without the help of magic, how can we get out of this mess alive?

    The only one who can save us is the Headmaster, Nilrem Erramun.

    With the oncoming horde of enemies, the Headmaster responses by¡­taking a red orb out her cloak. It¡¯s small and just barely bigger than a baseball. Nilrem suddenly whispers words into the orb, which makes it glow like a light bulb. With all her strength, Nilrem throws the red orb toward the oncoming horde. When it lands, the orb shatters to pieces, but that¡¯s merely the beginning. From inside the orb, fire comes out like a river, endless waves of fire engulf the whole entrance in flame, burning everything within its radius. Even the walking trees can¡¯t make it through the fire, it burns them faster than any magic or torches. The fire is abnormal, I can feel it through its sheer heat, and for some reason, through its warm I sense a slightly familiar feeling, as if that fire¡­belongs to someone I know.

    But either way, thanks to Nilrem¡¯s fire, the entrance has been sealed off. No one can reach through it without burning themselves to ashes. It should be good enough to keep them at bay, unless they find another entrance inside the castle.

    BAM!

    ¡­which they do.

    Another part of the entrance¡¯s wall gets crushed by a huge rock, probably shot from a trebuchet outside. And as if we don¡¯t have enough animated objects of nature for today, the rock itself grows legs and arms and slowly stands up to bring havoc upon us all, with the human soldiers entering the breach it made from behind.

    ¡°Soldiers of the Demon Realm! To battle!¡±

    Nilrem shouts and rushes by herself at the oncoming enemies. She holds firm her staff, but rather than casting spells, she conjures a blade made from pure soul energy at the tip of her staff and uses it as a glaive instead. For a mage to actively seek close combat is unthinkable, if there¡¯s someone who can actually make it work, that someone would be Nilrem Erramun.

    Five human soldiers approach the mage, thinking a lone mage will be an easy prey for their swords, only to find themselves quickly dispatched by Nilrem¡¯s magic glaive. Her attacks are swift and graceful, yet no one, not even me, can see any of it coming. The moment you think you have her, you¡¯ll find your throat has been cut by a semi-invisible blade. Her magic glaive cut through armors like they are made of butter, which reduces the stamina needed for each attacks and allows her to continuously hold off the waves of enemies. But she can¡¯t do it alone by herself, as more and more human soldiers arrive and are actively looking for a way to surround her.

    Which is why every single demon soldiers remaining in the entrance start rushing to Nilrem¡¯s aid. They burst their way through the human soldiers, form a ring around Nilrem and shield her away from any attempts to dispatch the Headmaster from the humans. But either way, now the soldiers find themselves being surrounded by the superior numbers of the humans instead, which leads to an opening for the remaining human soldiers to slip by and attack the ones left behind the demons¡¯ formation, like the exhausted mages and of course, myself.

    From a far, I see four armed soldiers aiming at my direction with no hesitation in their blade, despite my human-like appearance. I guess unlike the ones who captured me, they have no time for doubt, only for killing.

    I am unarmed, my guns don¡¯t have any bullets left, I no longer have any explosives. I only have my own hands as my weapons, and the soldiers are still approaching.

    What should I do but run away?

    That question naturally crosses my mind, and I would have run away as it¡¯s the most natural thing to do if I want to survive. But I¡¯m no longer a stranger to this war. I have dug too deep to see myself as an outsider. Which is why I hurriedly pick up the nearest sword off the hands of a fallen demon soldier and prepare myself for a fight, despite never holding one in my whole life up until now. It¡¯s heavy, much heavier than my gun. So this is the weight of a soldier fighting for what they believe in.

    Can I carry this weight, I wonder?

    I can only try, I guess.

    -Die, demon scum!

    The soldiers shout as they close the range between us. It¡¯s just four, but I know I¡¯m no warrior, I have no hope for winning a fight the straight forward way against the more experienced soldiers like them. But even so, I will not give up! I won¡¯t die this day, not by their hands!

    -Come and get me!

    I shout. They are already at my blade¡¯s reach.

    Yet it is not my blade that becomes their end, but the spears from unknown wolf riders that appear out of nowhere from behind my back.

    From the inner part of the castle, a small-sized army suddenly emerges from the shadows of the lifeless hallways. They are riding wolves, but not the normal kind since they are the size of horses. Now, these red cloaked wolf riders are entering our battleground and lay waste to any human soldiers in the vicinity. The unknown reinforcement are fierce, they strike with extreme precision and power that, despite their numbers, they make me feel like they alone can put an end to this siege. Now, the human soldiers find themselves trampled by the wolf riders instead. Anyone who is unlucky enough to escape their spears now has to face the teeth and claw of their ferocious wolves. This whole scene looks like it comes straight out a fantasy movie, yet it is indeed happening before my very eyes.

    ¡°We are the Red cloaks of Sanguin Academy! Taste our steel, you wretched humans!¡±

    Some red cloak soldiers proudly announce their presence, which somehow turns into a rally to boost morale for their own Sanguin cadets and the remaining demon soldiers. Things are looking better for us, but the humans don¡¯t seem to be giving up when the fighting is still lukewarm.

    But either way, just standing by and do nothing but watch is counterproductive. The red cloak cadets may be able to handle the human soldiers, but things can be different when it comes to the horde of walking trees. We need to get to the root of the problem. Maybe Nilrem can think of something about it.

    By following behind the wolf riders as they destroy their enemy, I¡¯m soon able to approach the Headmaster Nilrem, who¡¯s standing in front of a bunch of human corpses. She¡¯s barely standing without the support of her staff. The woman is having trouble breathing, her face is drenched in sweat, but the rest of her robe is soaked with blood instead. Even so, she doesn¡¯t seem to be hurt or wounded. The soldiers protecting her have done their best.

    But they too have their limits as a few soldiers manage to slip by them and are now charging at Nilrem.

    ¡°Headmaster!¡±

    I shout as I quickly rush toward the woman, but the distance between us is still too far, I won¡¯t be able to make it in time. Nilrem herself also looks too exhausted to even resume her battle stance. The only thing she can do is stare at her oncoming assailants.

    But at that moment, just before Nilrem gets cut down into several pieces, someone else interferes. That person swiftly dispatches the enemy soldiers like nobody¡¯s business.

    A male wolf rider wearing a red cloak, but his appearance is that of a middle-aged man unlike most of the cadets from Sanguin. His face spots a black stubble of a typical wifeless man, yet the greatsword in his hand makes him a rather imposing figure when combined with his huge stature that almost stands at two meters.

    ¡°Thanks for the help, Vice Principal Aitor Eberstark of Sanguin Academy.¡±

    Thanks to a brief window of peace made possible by the greatsword of the one named Aitor, Nilrem finally manages to catch a breath and regain her stamina to stand as normal. Come to think of it, his last name is Eberstark, but isn¡¯t that¡­

    ¡°It¡¯s not everyday you can make the high and mighty Nilrem Erramun owes you a favor, don¡¯t you think.¡±

    Says the black-haired devilman as he fends off the human soldiers dare to approach him.

    ¡°Between that and getting another vessel after this one, I would pick the later if given a choice.¡±

    They seem to be acquainted with each other.

    ¡°Speaking of that, isn¡¯t your current vessel look a bit too young? I actually prefer the older look of the previous one.¡±

    ¡°And who do you think is the reason for that decision of mine?¡±

    Okay, this conversation is getting way too personal for me to involve in this. Despite the seriousness of the situation, these two old friends don¡¯t seem to mind that there¡¯s a war happening around them. I want to barge in and yell ¡°Get back to business, damn it!¡±, but it doesn¡¯t seem like a really good idea to talk that way to the head and vice head of two great academies. And so, I can only watch and hear their banter from nearby, waiting for a signal to intervene safely.

    ¡°Speaking of which, it¡¯s rather rare for you fight up close and personal like this.¡±

    Says the Vice Principal of Sanguin.

    ¡°Are you reserving your soul energy for something more dangerous than these small fries?¡±

    Nilrem doesn¡¯t reply, but I guess the man named Aitor has already known her answer.

    ¡°I guess that involves those things as well, right?¡±

    Aitor points his greatsword toward the walking trees that manage to make it through the breach created by the golems. While I think the red cloak cadets won¡¯t have problems fighting the human soldiers, the walking trees and the golem however are a different matter to deal with.

    ¡°Trees can¡¯t walk on their own. There must be a source somewhere to animate them. I guess you intend to save your soul energy to secretly solve that problem on your own, just like how you always operate.¡±

    The man is surprisingly sharp, on par with Bjarni himself back in the day. Nilrem still keeps her silence, maybe out of sheer pride, I guess?

    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    ¡°Well, I have your back. Me and my students will stay here to protect your precious castle. You go and deal with whatever causing us troubles before all of us get overwhelmed.¡±

    Nilrem suddenly nods and replies.

    ¡°Don¡¯t send your students to a meaningless death. Don¡¯t do reckless things and get them killed. They still have a future ahead of them.¡±

    ¡°I know. You don¡¯t have to nag, grandma.¡±

    I guess that settles it, Nilrem will go and deal with whatever making the trees move and kill, Aitor will stay and defend the castle. They all have their role to play, but what is actually mine? Maybe I have already fulfilled mine with the death of Origen?

    ¡°Akuma!¡±

    Suddenly, Nilrem shouts without looking back at my side. She¡¯s aware I¡¯m nearby?

    ¡°Yes, Headmaster!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll come with me.¡±

    To help her deal with the source of the problem? While I¡¯m not lacking the courage to follow her, I am useless even with this iron sword in my hands¡­What can I do to provide help for Nilrem¡¯s quest?

    ¡°But I can no longer fight, Headmaster Nilrem. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll be a dead weight for this mission.¡±

    Aitor suddenly gives me a glance. He doesn¡¯t seem very impressed from his first gaze toward me.

    ¡°He is right. If you want some bodyguard, I would gladly lend you some of my best students.¡±

    It hurts to admit but what Aitor said is true, she¡¯s better off with some real fighters rather than me.

    ¡°He killed Origen. That feat alone is enough.¡±

    ¡°He what???¡±

    Aitor suddenly shouts out loud, enough to stop the battle for a brief second, maybe.

    ¡°This kid killed the Black Paladin!? That¡¯s very impressive if it¡¯s true!¡±

    It¡¯s impressive in theory, but there¡¯s nothing to be proud of in killing a half dead man. Beside, I did it when I still had enough weapons to use, but thanks to that fight alone, I am now without an effective mean to fight my enemies.

    ¡°Hey kid. Do you want to join Sanguin Academy? Or better, become an Eberstark?¡±

    ¡°Akuma is not for sale, Aitor. He¡¯s still my student, and he will help me with this task like I said he would.¡±

    Even if she says it like that¡­

    ¡°But why me, Headmaster?¡±

    ¡°Just in case.¡±

    Her answer is vague, too vague. I see no logical reason to believe her words and risk my life like that. But logic no longer hasanything to do with this. The Nilrem I know doesn¡¯t do things without a good reason. Maybe¡­

    ¡°Okay¡­I¡¯ll go with you.¡±

    ----------------

    With the cover of the Red cloaks and Nilrem¡¯s lead, the two of us manage to get out of the castle by the use of a secret passageway which of course I do not know about prior to this siege. But leaving out the details, we now find ourselves on the castle walls near the bridge leading to the Westward land. The place are littered with corpses of fallen demon and human soldiers, but even such a grim sight does naught to hold back the advance of the soulless trees together with what little left of the human¡¯s numbers. Their whole attention now lies in the hole leading inside the castle. Even at this place on the castle walls, we can still hear the sound of fierce fighting behind us.

    But that place is no longer our battlefield. Now ours lies outside, beyond the wall, and up above the sky.

    ¡°What¡­is that thing¡­?¡±

    A tree so tall its branches almost hit the cloud, almost as huge as the world tree Yggdrasil in Norse mythology. It¡¯s humanoid in shape, almost to be mistaken for a giant, but its wooden trunk says otherwise. Slowly, it walks toward Melas castle, with speed so slow a wounded turtle can make it faster than it is. Yet, that¡¯s not why it¡¯s not a threat. For every footsteps it takes, the dead trees nearby suddenly pluck their roots out of the ground, taking on the same humanoid shapes and start walking toward Melas castle, joining alongside their brethren in destroying the demon castle.

    So that¡¯s the root of the problem. But¡­

    ¡°How can we actually deal with that¡­?¡±

    I almost piss myself thinking how small I am when compared to the great tree. Even if we try our best and burn it down, the fire we can make may as well comparable to a mosquito¡¯s bite to that huge thing.

    It¡¯s simply impossible, I can¡¯t think of anything to defeat that thing. If I can¡¯t, then why am I here to begin with?

    ¡°Headmaster Nilrem!¡±

    I turn to the side of the Headmaster and shouts. Suddenly, the woman collapses, but she manages to keep a balance without falling thanks to the support of her magic staff. I don¡¯t know why, but that¡¯s not a good sign.

    ¡°This is getting worse¡­¡±

    Says the woman.

    ¡°Yeah¡­How can we even destroy that thing?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not talking about the walking giant tree.¡±

    When I¡¯m still confused by Nilrem¡¯s choice of words, at that moment, the dark valley beneath the castle suddenly lights up in flame. And from the bottom, something resembling a small meteor flies upward to the sky, but it lands shortly afterward. The landing creates a shockwave from the impact, enough to make a mess of dust and fog to cover the identity of whatever emerged from the valley.

    Shortly after, the dust fades, and it all become clear to me of what is behind the fog, or rather¡­who¡­

    ¡°De¡­Deborah¡­!?¡±

    It is Deborah, but instead of the feisty girl I know, she is now¡­something else that I can¡¯t simply describe with words. Her whole body is burning like a human torch, yet her tattered clothes are still unharmed despite the intense flame wrapping her whole body. Not only that, her limbs have been replaced with reptilian red scales with black claws at their end, combined with a sudden tail grown from behind and the horns on her head, all of these don¡¯t belong to the Deborah I know¡­

    Or rather, it might be more accurate to say I know nothing about her in the first place.

    ¡°What¡­is she¡­?¡±

    ¡°The very thing she was known as, a Flame Dragon, the last one.¡±

    Flame Dragon? The moniker the students of Melas gave her? To think it has a literal meaning behind it¡­But like Iola said before, Flame Dragon doesn¡¯t exist, their existence only lies in the fantasies of people, yet¡­Deborah is there, leering at the approaching walking trees and roars at them, behaving like how a wild flame dragon should be in spirit.

    Before me isn¡¯t Deborah, but a dragon taking a part of her form while replacing the rest with their own body parts. Her bloodlust filled eyes, her earth-rending roars, and the savage way of walking on all four, there aren¡¯t any traces left to show me that this being is the Deborah I once know, and it sure is disturbing to see her in such a state.

    I am not prepared for this¡­

    But the walking trees don¡¯t need the time to prepare. Once the dragon Deborah makes her appearance, the trees rush at her to attack their new target. But what are walking trees compared to a living dragon?

    ¡°ARGHHHHH!!¡±

    Deborah roars. All the trees attack her simultaneously, but despite her new body parts, Deborah is still nimble enough to dodge thee tree branches coming at her. But she¡¯s dodging away not for the safety of herself, she just moves to a place that allows an easier chance to destroy her enemy. The trees are now grouping together at the place Deborah used to be, a perfect chance for the flame dragon.

    Deborah takes her breath. Fire gathers to the form of a ball just in front of her head until it becomes half her size. When she releases the fireball, it comes toward the walking trees with the speed of a bullet and the size of a cannonball. The fireball burns away all the trees in one sitting, but it doesn¡¯t stop there, it now comes charging at Melas castle, and in particular, its castle wall and the place we¡¯re standing on.

    ¡°Watch out!¡±

    I duck together with Nilrem as Deborah¡¯s fireball flies past us and goes straight into the castle before exploding and takes out a small chunk of stone. It¡¯s like having a cannon shooting at us.

    ¡°She doesn¡¯t know we¡¯re here!?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s better that she does not.¡±

    Nilrem¡¯s answer sends a chill down my spine from all the implication behind her words.

    Deborah turns her head toward the remaining walking trees, and what is standing behind them, the giant tree blocking the sky. Like a mad dog, Deborah rushes toward the biggest target in range of her sight. The smaller trees simply can¡¯t let her do as she pleases, they form a defense line using their trunk as barriers, but their efforts are futile and easily crushed by Deborah¡¯s fists and claws. The place has became a massacre site with trees as victims from the terror brought by Deborah. They get punched, crushed, torn to bits, or burned. Deborah does not hesitate to use every means of destruction available in her disposal. I used to fear the threat the walking trees posed to destroy the demonkind, now I fear for their feeble lives when they are facing a dragon of destruction called Deborah.

    And finally, the dragon and the giant tree meet face to face, although Deborah¡¯s size barely counts as an ant when compared even to the tree¡¯s feet, but despite the size difference, this simply won¡¯t be a battle between David and Goliath. David defeated the giant Goliath by the use of his brain, but David was no fire breathing dragon like Deborah is. The giant tree is the underdog in this situation, and it probably can¡¯t even realize it.

    -URGOOOOOHHHH!

    The giant tree roars, which shakes the ground through sheer volume, unleashing a minor earthquake in the area around them. As if not wanting to lose, Deborah roars back at the giant tree like two dogs barking at each other, but her roar is pitiful in comparison, like a pup to a hound. The dragon lost the battle of intimidation, which allows her opponent to take the first move. The giant tree attacks by moving up its giant foot made of roots with the intent of trampling the dragon to a pulp. Yet despite having the initiative, the tree¡¯s foot moves so slow it makes a wounded turtle look like a rabbit in its prime. But even so, Deborah neither runs away nor makes any attempts to defend herself from the foot the size of a skyscraper descending upon her. She actually wants to challenge it head on!

    -ARGHHHH!

    The tree steps on Deborah, but the earth doesn¡¯t rumble from the tremor made by the sheer weight of a world tree. No, because its foot hasn¡¯t even make contact with the ground, not if Deborah can help it. Now, she¡¯s carrying the whole weight of the tree on her back, just like the titan Atlas carrying the world. But a tree isn¡¯t a world with living people on it, so naturally, Deborah does not care if the tree she¡¯s carrying is burning from the flame she¡¯s emitting from herself and how will it fare if she lets go of her hold. Although I¡¯m afraid in this state of hers, Deborah doesn¡¯t even care if she is to throw away a living world held on her shoulders. With all her strength, Deborah pushes away the giant foot off her shoulder, almost enough to make the tree falls to the ground if it doesn¡¯t luckily get a foothold afterward, but Deborah doesn¡¯t look like she would enjoy an easy enemy like that.

    With a burning feet, the tree steps away. Part of its foot has became a living torch as of now, but it still thinks it has a chance of winning. The tree throws a punch at Deborah with its arm made from tree branches. Like before, Deborah can always make enough time to dodge the oncoming attack, and still have the time to laugh at the tree¡¯s pitiful attempt to hit something the size of a fly compared to it. But unlike before, this time, Deborah doesn¡¯t simply wait and block the attack. Now, she waits for the tree¡¯s fist to come at her, and with a jump, Deborah makes her way on its arm as the tree¡¯s fist destroy a huge chunk of the ground where Deborah¡¯s supposed to be.

    Now, Deborah is sprinting in full speed toward the tree¡¯s head like a spider crawling on a human¡¯s arm. But the threat a dragon poses is way more dangerous than a spider¡¯s bite. Her burning body is making a trail of fire on her way toward the tree¡¯s head. The tree is not without a defend mechanism to counter an attempt to climb its body just like what Deborah¡¯s doing. Through its arm, it conjures a bunch of vines from its branches with the intent to hold Deborah back, and strangle her to death if they can. It may work with anyone else, but not with a fire dragon who¡¯s constantly emitting fire through her body. The vines get burned to crisp before they even touch Deborah, let alone hold her down and strangle her to her death. Deborah practically runs uncontested, and soon, she makes her way to the head of the giant tree. The leaves covering its head quickly burn away as Deborah makes her presence, but that¡¯s hardly the end of the giant tree¡¯s nightmare.

    It¡¯s hard to see from the castle wall, but thanks to the burned tree leaves, I manage to catch some glimpse of Deborah¡¯s action. She puts both her hands down onto the tree¡¯s head. And soon¡­the terror begins.

    Deborah channels her fire through her hands and down to the tree¡¯s head, and through the head to its whole body. The dragon fire make their way through every nook and cranny they can find in the wooden trunk. At first, the whole giant tree lightens up like burning charcoal, but it soon becomes a giant pyre when Deborah¡¯s fire takes total domination of its body. The tree is moving its arms and legs, slowly, enough to resemble a dance, but a dance of death with a pair of red-hot iron shoes instead. It roars from the pain of feeding its whole wooden body to sustain the dragon flame, but the roar soon weakens, and finally stops for good when the tree becomes a giant husk of cinder, still standing, but unmoving, and never will.

    The giant tree is dead.

    ¡°Incredible¡­¡±

    With the destruction of the source, the force animating the smaller trees naturally goes away. All the trees nearby drop down to the ground, resuming their immobile form before the apperance of the giant tree. Cheers can be heard from inside Melas castle, pushing away the laments of failure and despair of the remaining human soldiers stuck inside. This marks the end of Melas¡¯s siege with the victory to the demons of the Demon Realm. But despite the end of the fight, the Headmaster Nilrem still looks so unnaturally tense¡­

    ¡­as if the true nightmare has yet to begin.

    And I soon find out why when I match my gaze to Nilrem¡¯s, toward Deborah who¡¯s still standing at the top of the world through the husk of the giant tree.

    The burning dragon gazes at the world around her, at the rising sun atop of the gray clouds, at the snow-filled lands ravaged by ages old wars, at the battlefield from afar and the unwilling pawns of conflict. A vast world that makes even an existence like a dragon looks insignificant. And maybe that¡¯s part of the reason the reason why that dragon thinks it¡¯s the perfect time to set everything ablaze, to return the world into its origin of nothing, of ashes and flames, of dusts and bones.

    Deborah turns her head upward. She opens her mouth, and breaths out a stream of dragon fire. Strangely, the fire doesn¡¯t go away, but curls backward in midair and forms a gigantic sphere made of pure fire. By the time the sphere of fire becomes thrice her size, Deborah shoots it upward toward the sky.

    And it explodes, into smaller meteors descending toward all directions across the area on the Western part of the Demon Realm.

    A rain of fire.

    Every place the meteors hit, destruction quickly follows and soon engulfs it in flame. Only god knows how many meteors are there in the skies that are still falling down to the lands. The sky soon turns red from the sheer heat radiated from the meteors, almost making it look like the apocalypse is coming. I have never read the bible before, but this maybe is what it¡¯ll look like if the Revelation arrives.

    One meteor hit Melas castle, destroying a part of it with fire. The others hit the valley beneath the castle and lights it up like a pit of hell. I¡¯m too absorbed from the terror brought by the destruction to even notice a huge meteor is coming my way as well.

    I would die again if not for Nilrem¡¯s timely intervention. She conjures a barrier to protect the two of us. If she doesn¡¯t, we would have been burned to ashes from the fire engulfing Nilrem¡¯s spherical barrier. A normal barrier wouldn¡¯t make it, the fire would still find its way, not to mention the heat that can melt steel and stone itself. Nilrem¡¯s barrier protects us from it, and I¡¯m grateful for her assistance.

    But that will not stop me from piercing the truth behind everything, and behind every actions this woman made.

    ¡°Now I understand, Headmaster Nilrem¡­¡±

    I clench my fists as I state out my thoughts.

    ¡°The castle¡¯s barrier wasn¡¯t made to protect the castle from outside threat. It was made to keep Deborah inside¡­To make sure she never makes contact with the outside world¡­¡±

    The woman doesn¡¯t reply, as if she knows she doesn¡¯t have to fix the obvious truth.

    ¡°Why, Nilrem!? Why!? I want answers!¡±

    The woman sighs.

    ¡°It will be a long story. Do you care for a walk, Mr.Akuma?¡±

 Chapter 49: The answers for the future (1)

    The crimson beast with scarlet wings roared in mid air. Its roar rent the sky asunder, and its fire plunged everything into a burning pit of hell. The sky started raining, but instead of droplets of water, they were fire that burned away everything that lived. Everything within its sight got lit on fire, reducing them to mere ashes. A beast of destruction, a beast of the end. Its existence marked the end of all thing. A cursed being, brought to this world just to make it burn.

    And the next time that very terrifying beast roared, I found myself waking up from my bed, with my body drenched in sweat and my breath heavy.

    ''That dream again¡­''

    No¡­to be more precise, it was a nightmare. The beast in that nightmare was so vivid and terrifying to the point I thought I would never wake up again if I was devoured by it. This had been going on for a few days¡­I didn''t know what started it, but when that time arrived¡­that dream just kept appearing in my sleep, over and over again¡­

    And there was nothing I could do about it except moving on with my life and hoped one day it would end, maybe.

    "Morning already¡­"

    I was no heavy sleeper, and I would prefer not to have that dream again, but somehow I couldn''t find enough care to get myself up. It''s not like I was busy with work or anything, but ¡­even if I got up, I wouldn''t had much to do except wandering around the castle and tried to make myself busy. Would be nice if there were still something in the castle for me to see, but from the past few days I had already searched every nook and cranny in Melas castle out of sheer curiosity. Eventually, even that got boring.

    But well, it''s not like staying in bed all day would be seen as productive. It couldn''t be helped. I had to get up.

    I got myself off the top of the bunk bed. I didn''t know why, but for some reason I liked to sleep in a high place. It was rather strange, but preference differed from person to person, I guessed. I would like a roommate as well, having a room solely for my own use could get lonely sometimes. Although as of now, there wasn''t anyone around my age in Melas castle. The New Year holiday just started four days ago, it would take a while till every other students come back to this place.

    But well, enough thinking. My body smelled from all the sweat I made in my sleep¡­I didn''t know much about the common sense of this new world I found myself waking up into, but what I did know was no one likes a smelly girl.

    "I''ll need to clean this later¡­"

    I would need to ask Nilrem on how to wash my clothes. I had been wearing this nightwear for almost a week, and even I knew clothes stink when you didn''t clean them.

    But first, let''s take a bath! Or else the smell would catch on my body as well!

    I walked out of my room. The girl''s dormitory looked like an abandoned manor during the holiday. At this moment, I was its only inhabitant, which was why I could freely get out of my room in my pajama without the fear of being seen in such an attire. Although stuff like walking around in pajama could be normal in the girl''s dormitory. Well, I might actually look forward to it, walking around with other girls in pajamas, it could be fun!

    But not immediately, I needed to take a bath.

    After a short trek, I arrived at the girls'' bath house. It was large and comfy enough, not too luxurious nor too shabby. Rather average...in a way, but still acceptable for the girls'' use. The castle as a whole looked rather rundown, slowly showing its age, but somehow this bathhouse was still in rather good condition, with an automatic water heating system powered by magic engine technology. I guessed a female Headmaster truly understood common females'' basic needs.

    After neatly prepared my new clothes for today, I took off the dirty pajama and threw myself to the biggest bath in the place. According to the rules, one must wash their body first before getting inside the bath, but screw the rules, I felt like owning the bath for myself today.

    "Ahh¡­this is the best¡­"

    For some reason, I really liked bathing in hot water. It was so relaxing, enough to ease away the terror that dream brought me lately.

    ''Maybe it has something to do with this¡­''

    I touched my naked navel, the place where a strange seal resided. It shaped like a spiral, but with edges. Its color was dark red, making it look unnaturally ominous. I didn''t know when, but when I realized it, this strange seal had already became a part of my body. I hadn''t speak with Nilrem about this even though I wanted to. The woman had been rather busy lately, with the influx of soldiers from the frontlines coming to Melas castle, I simply couldn''t find any chance to speak with her.

    Well¡­she couldn''t be that busy, right? Maybe I would eventually find a chance. Right now, the most important matter was to find something worth doing to pass the time I got.

    But the bath was too comfortable¡­the water temperature was perfect, I didn''t really want to leave this bath¡­

    If I was not careful, I might find myself sleeping in the bathhouse.

    Yet¡­the temptation was irresistible. No, fight it, Deborah! Don''t fall asleep like this!

    ----------------------

    Thankfully, I managed to beat my desire and safely got out of the comfortable bath. After donning my normal attire, a plain white shirt and a long simple black skirt, I headed out to Melas''s castle interior. Nilrem once said this type of clothing isn''t fit for Dargoth''s granddaughter, but I enjoyed dressing plainly like this. It was comfortable, easy to move in without attracting any kind of unwanted attraction. Beside, this castle was hardly grandiose enough for me to act like a fancy princess. This was fine for me.

    I had already decided on what to do today. My plan was visiting the library and read every single books available there. Back during the brief confinement in my room, Nilrem brought me some books to determine whether I could read and write or not, which luckily I still could to some degree. I read through all of them during those time, and they were enough to keep me up to date on the current situation of the Demon Realm, along with some common sense.

    But I wanted to know more, to learn more, about the culture of this world and the people in it, along with everything that happened in the past. It might shred a light on the mystery surrounding my hidden past that Nilrem wouldn''t tell me. It would be tedious reading everything, but I had time to kill.

    I stood right in front of the castle''s library. The door was closed, but not locked. I slowly pushed it away without making a noise to come inside. Unexpectedly, there was someone inside the library despite the lack of students to use it. That was the librarian. An old woman who actually looked her age, she was sitting behind the counter reading some books to kill time. The name tag on the counter was written as Miriam Prophetissima, her name, probably.

    "Ehh¡­excuse me, can I use the library?"

    I approached the librarian and asked for permission. For all I knew, the library might not open, just because the librarian was here didn''t mean it was open.

    "Feel free to do so¡­Oh, you are¡­Lady Deborah Draconis, right?"

    "You...know my name¡­?"

    We just met for the first time, yet the old woman knew of my name, and I certainly didn''t wear a nametag on my clothes.

    "The Headmaster spoke of you."

    "Nilrem did?"

    The old woman simply nodded.

    "She said to let you use the library should you come here."

    "That was thoughtful of her."

    That woman really had a plan for everything.

    "Enjoy your read, Lady Deborah. I''ll be here if you need me."

    "Thank you, but I''m no Lady though¡­it''s strange to be called like that."

    The old librarian simply smiled.

    "But you are a noble, Lady Deborah. After all, you are Lord Dargoth''s granddaughter. A lineage is granted nobility when one of its member gains the title of Demon King. If Lord Dargoth is still around, I would have to call you Princess Deborah instead."

    Princess Deborah¡­it sounded nice, but for some reason, I didn''t really like being called a princess¡­It just sounded odd and unfitting to someone like me.

    "Just call me Deborah¡­I really don''t mix well with people talking to me in formalities."

    The old woman just silently smiled as she replied.

    "Miss Deborah then. Please pick the books you want to read, I don''t have all day."

    "Oh right."

    I forgot I came here to read, not to talk. After I excused myself, I rushed to the bookshelves to find books worth reading. The library was small, but it wasn''t lacking in the books department. There were a lot of bookshelves neatly arranged to save up space and still comfortable enough for students to take books away without any problem. The genres were varied, but the one interested me the most were history books.

    After taking away three books that I fancied out of the history section, I brought them to the counter for the librarian to do her work.

    Come to think of it¡­

    "Why are you still here, Miss Prophetissima? I thought everyone, even the teachers, had already went home for the holiday?"

    "It''s actually Mrs.Prophetissima, and yes, I intended to go home as well. But there were some troubles with the number of carriages, and when it was resolved, there wasn''t any left to take me home. That explains why I''m here, in case you''re wondering."

    The woman explained as she put a stamp on a reading ticket. Procedure, probably, even when there were only two of us in this room.

    "I''m normally a teacher instead of a librarian, it''s just a part time job that I enjoy doing. It''s tiring to work even in the holiday, but procedure is still procedure. You can read these books in the library, but if you want to take any with you back to your room, please speak to me first, Miss Deborah."

    "Right¡­thank you."

    I took a hold of the books I borrowed together with the reading ticket and marched for the reading area. Of course, there wasn''t anyone else here beside me and the librarian, I could pick any table I wanted, but although I enjoyed the silence, I still picked the table with a window nearby to hear the sound of nature and feel the wind of the winter. It just felt odd reading without feeling the world moving around. It was strange, but I enjoyed that feeling.

    But today, rather than the feeling of the world, the sounds I heard from the windows were not the winter wind dancing in the air, but merry noises of loud and rude men.

    "What''s going on?"

    I mumbled as the voices from outside the window grew louder when I looked outside. The source of the voices came from below, right near the castle courtyard. There was a group of men in armor, soldiers to be precise. Lay before them was a wooden scaffold, something that wasn''t there yesterday when I passed through the place. The soldiers were shouting and yelling at the empty scaffold, it was hard to make out a logical reason for their actions¡­until other soldiers made their appearance, with a line of people in tattered clothes coming after, their hands were tied, their heads were covered in a dirty bag. Those who did not follow or walk too slow got beaten by the soldiers from the rear. Eventually, they all formed a neatly line leading up to the scaffold one by one. Another one appeared from behind, a shirtless man with his face concealed by a black hood. He was dragging a sword almost as big as him and together with it, he climbed up the scaffold through the stair.

    The crowd of soldiers suddenly burst into cheers when the hooded man opened his arms to welcome the shower of laughter as if it was something to be proud of. Some of the tied up men were whimpering from the sheer weight of noises, enough for one to fall down on his knees. The cheering suddenly stopped at that moment, and quickly replaced by the booing of the crowd. The hooded man approached the cowering man, and with his ripped arm he forcefully dragged the defenseless man to the wooden block in the middle of the scaffold.

    "No¡­!"

    With the help of two other demon soldiers, the man with tied arms found himself lying his head on the wooden block like a fish preparing to get chopped. He tried to struggle, but his strength did naught to escape the restraint of two men in armor. He seemed to be screaming, but it was hard to hear what he was saying from my position, however, under the laughter of the crowd, his attempt was already futile from the start.

    The hooded man readied his greatsword, the crowd''s cheering got even louder than before, some even made a toast with vials of beer and some roasted dirty sausages. It only ended when the greatsword descended, and the tied up man''s head came off from his body, with the remaining blood drenching the wooden floor in red. And only now did the crowd resume their thunderous cheering, as if the death of a defenseless man was something worth celebrating.

    "What is¡­this¡­?"

    "Oh, it''s that day already¡­?"

    Suddenly, I found Mrs. Prophetissima had already stood next to me, with her gaze fixed on the merry band of soldiers in the courtyard.

    "It''s an execution site. The soldiers bring the prisoners they found on the frontline back to this place, and publicly execute all of them."

    "Who are those prisoners¡­?"

    I asked. My question put the old librarian into a brief silence before she continued.

    "Human soldiers."

    "Human¡­?"

    They were¡­human? The humans of the West continent - our enemy according to the books?

    "But why now...why kill them now in a way like this?"

    "Because you can hardly enjoy killing things when you''re still fighting for your life. This yearly festive was justified by them as a chance to release all the pain and hatred they endured during their service onto their enemies. And those who were unfortunate enough to be captured became their scapegoats and playthings solely to safely sastify their bloodlust."

    The librarian explained as she walked back to behind the counter, seeminly tired of the scene from outside.

    How could something like this happen when Nilrem was still the Headmaster of this castle?

    "Either way, you better stay away from them if you don''t want any trouble."

    I clenched my fists. People were literally dying outside of the window, and yet, I should continue reading my books like nothing happened?

    "This cannot continue! I''ll go stop them!"

    There was no way I could simply pretend there was nothing out there. My previous nightmare was bad already, and I didn''t want to add more of them to torment me for the nights to come.

    With all my strength, I hurriedly ran outside of the library, if I was fast enough, I might be able to prevent another life to be senselessly taken away just for amusement!

    "No! Don''t do it Deborah!"

    ----------------------

    "This stops now!"

    I shouted, which turned the attention of the crowd away from the execution taking place on the chopping block. But even then, I was too slow to prevent another head rolling on the floor. The executioner and his henchmen had already finished claiming another life. But if I didn''t stop this charade now, all the prisoners would die a horrible death solely for the fun of these terrible soldiers.

    "You must put an end to this!"

    I approached the crowd, but tried my best to keep a distance away from them. I needed to let the crowd know of my presence and intention, but the one who had to be stopped was the executioner running the place.

    "You''re a big girl, aren''t you?"

    "This is no place for a lady like you!"

    Seemed like my initial impression was a failure. I guessed the key lied with the executioner, if I stopped him, then I could stop all of this. Without giving any care to the soldiers, I tried and found my way up to the scaffold before any of them could block my way and prevent me from stopping all these. My quick journey had been successful so far, apparently no one cared enough to drop their fun for a girl who showed up out of nowhere and started barking orders. Things went well so far, but eventually, I met some difficulty. The entrance to the scaffold was blocked by the two soldiers accompanying the executioner himself.

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    "Let me through."

    They didn''t respond, or they just didn''t care. If they didn''t want to let me through, the only option I had left was to forcefully burst through them.

    But could I actually do it¡­could I have the strength to push two grown men trained to fight away of my path¡­? I was a simple girl who barely knew the world.

    But even so, someone had to intervene and stop this injustice. If no one was willing, then I would.

    "Let her through. I''m interested in what she has to say."

    The executioner suddenly spoke, and with his order, the two soldiers blocking the way stood aside before I had the chance to get violent. That was¡­nice, I guessed.

    Now was the time for what I came here for. I walked up to the scaffold and found myself being the center of the stares from the crowd. I was rather nervous under all these unwanted attention, but I must face it if I wish to complete what I started.

    "Please stop all of these."

    I gently asked. The hooded executioner rested his hands on his bloodstained greatsword and prepared his own lines.

    "And why should I? Tell me a reason of why should I stop all these, my lady."

    "That''s¡­"

    Why was I stuttering? It was already clear why I came here to stop them.

    "Because it''s wrong!"

    The executioner fell silent, and so did the crowd. But that was just the start of what yet to come, as they soon burst into laughter as if I just made a joke instead of declaring my intent to stop this.

    "Hahahahaha¡­This is way more interesting than killing the human bastards!"

    Said someone from the crowd. Apparently they found my presence and intention funny¡­And I would not accept that!

    "Shut up! Stop laughing! All of this is wrong! It has to be stopped!"

    "My lady¡­the only thing wrong here¡­is your head!"

    The execution suddenly approached me and pushed my head away. I almost stumbled to the ground, but luckily failed to do so when I managed to regain my balance.

    "Why should we stop killing these humans? They are practically dead men the moment they fell into our hands."

    "Even so, killing them like this is just too cruel!"

    I barked back at the executioner''s attempt to refute my reason.

    "So, what do you suggest, my lady?"

    Said the executioner.

    "What?"

    The executioner turned his back to me as he faced the crowd and loudly announced.

    "Do you suggest we end all this, get them back to the dungeon and let them rot there!? Or do you suggest we simply let them run free and tell their superior everything they''ve learned from their time in our homeland!? Which one do you prefer!?"

    The crowd started to go crazy, like a horde of hungry dogs, they started barking the only thing in their mind when provoked by the executioner''s words.

    "Kill the bloody humans already!"

    "We ain''t got all day! Kill them!"

    "Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!"

    Were the demons¡­really this bloodthirsty¡­? Or was I simply too na?ve to understand what sort of world I was living in, what sort of land I was staying in? Was everything I knew from a land of proud demons merely an illusion? Was this everything that Dargoth stood for and died for? The more they shouted, the more the fa?ade I made inside my mind started to fall apart.

    Was this¡­the reality outside of my fantasy?

    I didn''t know¡­I was overwhelmed by the shouts of the savage demons demanding the blood of humans. Why did they desire the end of another''s life? What sort of people would enjoy butchering defenseless enemies solely for the sake of entertainment? Why must they do this? Why? Why?

    "Now, my lady. If you please excuse me, the crowd is waiting for their executioner, and I can''t do my job with you on the stage. This is no place for a lady who knows nothing of the world. Leave now when you still can."

    "Why must you continue?"

    I replied to the executioner.

    "These men are all dead men at this point, all I do is to make good use of their dead lives for something with a meaning."

    Said the man.

    "And being made a laughing stock is that meaning? Do their life only worth that much?"

    "It''s still something, don''t you think?"

    Unsatisfied with his answer, I found myself rushing in front of the line of prisoners and blocked his way, preventing him making contact with any of the prisoners.

    "Move, my lady."

    Unlike his tone earlier, this time, the executioner''s voice was cold and deadly, befitting someone who ends life as a job. But I would not yield, not to someone like¡­

    BAM!

    He punched me! The execution actually threw a punch at my face. I found myself off balance for a moment, but my will and pride didn''t let me drop down unconscious. Both of my feet still stayed firm, and despite my bloodied nose, I regained my stance and continued blocking his way. If he wanted to kill any of them, he had to go through m¡­

    BAM!

    "I won''t say it again, my lady."

    He punched me again! This time, it wasn''t my resolve that helped, but my boiling anger that kept my feet from stumbling down. There was a fire inside my heart, ignited from the pain he inflicted on my face. I clenched my fist and glared at him with all of my hatred in my eyes.

    "I like that look in your beautiful eyes. There''s a burning rage within you. You''re angry, aren''t you? Good, then maybe one day you too will understand¡­how good it feels to kill the things you hate! Now, punch me, my lady! Punch me with all your hatred! Only then will you understand why we did this!"

    With my rage at the helm of my body, I threw a punch that contained all of my boiling hatred at the executioner''s torso. What was the strength of a girl to a muscular executioner? I thought my punch would barely faze him, but at the very least, I wanted him to taste pain, I wanted him to know how it felt to be hurt by others. This punch held all of my strength and hatred, it would make him feel pain, I knew it for sure.

    But what I didn''t expect was my punch didn''t stop solely at his skin on contact, it went straight through of his torso, destroying every internal organs it found on its path until my fist felt the cold of the winter air through his back.

    "What¡­in the¡­?"

    The executioner mumbled as blood came out of his mouth like a waterfall. His strength grew weak, and eventually, the full weight of his remaining body fell on my hand as his remaining life force escaped his body, resulted in his final death.

    And all I could do was standing there in awe of what just happened, without having any ideas of what to do in front of the enraged crowd of soldiers who had already drawn their weapons, with the closest ones being the soldiers guarding the stairs leading to the scaffold.

    "You bitch!"

    A soldier swung down his sword. The executioner''s body kept weighting me down, and by the time I managed to push him away, it was already too late.

    "Urgh!"

    My neck got slashed, but thankfully the wound wasn''t deep enough to cleave the head off my neck. Despite the disbelief of a soldier failing to behead a plain girl, the wound he inflicted on me was still extremly painful. I ground my teeth in a futile attempt to ease the pain, but the soldiers simply didn''t want to let me act. The other soldier who guarded the scaffold rushed at me with his sword and stabbed my stomach. His sword didn''t go through my body despite his strength, but it still stayed inside my stomach and caused intense pain to my internal organs. The pain forced me to act, and I swung my arms at the soldiers to make my escape.

    But my arms proved more deadly than merely pushing the soldiers away. The sheer unknown strength I mustered tore the two of them into two halves, as if their iron armor were made of paper. Their bodies started flying away and landed at the crowd, which made them half furious and half afraid of what happened before their eyes.

    "Damn¡­!"

    But I didn''t have time to pay my attention to them. I fell down to the ground from the pain in my stomach and my neck. The wounds didn''t stop bleeding, and it hurt more than having hot iron glued on your skin. A normal girl would had died from all of these.

    But at this point, I had already realized I was no normal girl. The bleeding wounds suddenly burnt themselves with fire, and after that when the fire disappeared, the wounds had already healed themselves without my input. My stomach, my neck, even my face after being punched twice, all of them healed to normal. And with that, I found the strength to get back on my feet¡­

    ¡­and gazed at the angry crowd of soldiers with weapons on their hands and were making their way to the wooden scaffold.

    ¡­

    ¡­

    ¡­

    "What¡­happened here!? Deborah! Answer me!"

    I heard a voice from afar. For a moment, I seemed to doze off from reality. That was bad of me. I really should had sleept more. But I didn''t want to sleep. I was afraid of those dreams, of those nightmares. I just had a bad one. In that dream, demons were killing humans for fun, I tried to stopped them, things got out of hands, and somehow I found the strength to kill all of the demons.

    It sounded like a really bad dream. But Nilrem was here at last, she was probably mad because I slept in again, but she was here for real. It meant I had returned to reality again.

    Thankfully it was over¡­That was a really bad dream.

    "Why did you kill all of them!?"

    What¡­? I¡­?

    I opened my eyes, and the very first thing I saw was my blood-soaked hands, a result from the corpses of dead soldiers littered everywhere in the vicinity. The most natural thing I could do was to scream with all the force in my lungs.

    "AGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

    My clothes were tattered from the fight, yet despite the signs of having a lot of wounds inflicted on me by the soldiers'' weapons, my body was still fine with barely any scratches, contraried to every evidence that said otherwise. I didn''t remember what happened, it was so sudden, but the harsh and blunt truth lied in the result of everything after that.

    I killed¡­all these men¡­

    I was standing on the scaffold, looking dumbfounded as Nilrem approached me together with the old librarian who followed behind. Suddenly, she hurriedly grabbed my hand and dragged me away from the site. The last glimpse I could catch at this place were the corpses of the fallen soldiers, and the line of prisoners too scared to even make a move.

    -------------

    "Why did you kill all of them?"

    The Headmaster dragged me to her office. This place was still as messy as ever, but it got even more messy when Nilrem threw me into a pile of books as both of us made our entrance to her office.

    "I¡­"

    "I ask you again. Why did you kill all of them?"

    Nilrem''s voice was calm, yet her face looked furious. She had every right to be angry¡­

    "I¡­just wanted to stop them."

    "And save the humans as well, am I right?"

    Nilrem sighed as she approached her desk and used it as her arm support to keep her from collapsing from sheer anger and terror.

    "So, did you accomplish your goal?"

    What was she talking about?

    "You stopped them, by butchering every single soldier there. But did you save the humans? Did you free any of them from their binds, show them the gate and let them return home? Did you do it?"

    Asked the witch.

    "I¡­"

    "No, you didn''t. You killed all the demon soldiers, but the human prisoners were still there, helplessly waiting for their fate. So, what was the purpose of all of these? For what reason did those demons die? Can you explain it to me, Deborah?"

    I already had my answer.

    "Because what they did was wrong!"

    "That doesn''t make killing every single one of them right. You did it with a purpose, yet you couldn''t even know what is wrong or what is right, and just do things the way you want it, because you simply believe it''s wrong in your head. And what''s the result? Did your action save the humans with the price paid by the lives of those demons?"

    Every single one of her words hurted more than the swords of those demon soldiers. Why couldn''t she understand what I did? I¡­just wanted to stop the killing¡­I couldn''t stand all those demons who killed defenseless men for simple entertainment. How was that right? And why was I in the wrong here¡­?

    "I don''t have time for this¡­"

    The woman turned her back on me and sighs.

    "You saved the human prisoners, for the time being. We will reschedule their execution date later. Right now, I still have a lot of work to do to cover up your mess."

    "After all of this, and you still want to kill them!"

    I yelled. Yet, my protest proved to be pitiful when the Headmaster slammed hard on her desk as she yelled back at me.

    "And what do you suggest, Lady Deborah!? Simply let them go home? Or let them rot to death in a cell!? If it was up to me, I would get all of them killed right this instance to save the future trouble! But unlike you, I don''t have the sort of freedom to make troubles and let someone else clean up my mess!"

    She was angry¡­This was the first time I saw Nilrem got angry like this.

    As Nilrem''s yelling stopped, the woman sit back behind her desk and brought out a bunch of blank papers. With her quill pen, the woman focused her gaze on the white papers and wrote down something. Silence befell the room, aside from the writing noise made by the quill pen. Nilrem''s room was dark, she had yet to open the windows in her room, the only source of light was from the still opened door that led to this room''s entrance.

    And from that light, I could see my blood-soaked hand, dirtied from taking away the lives of those who attacked me. It was rightful self-defense, yet I couldn''t help but feel I was the evil one.

    "Those soldiers¡­no matter what they did to me, no matter what weapons they used, they all failed to kill me. All my wounds healed back to normal after a while. Yet, just from a simple punch of mine, they all fell apart, as fragile like a piece of glass. What¡­exactly is this strength¡­this power¡­?"

    The woman stopped moving the pen and sighed.

    "You asked me of who you are, and I answered that you are Deborah Draconis. But you never asked me ''what'' you are."

    "Then what am I!?"

    I yelled.

    "You are a dragon, Deborah. The last Flame Dragon in this world."

    Her blunt way of talking made such a revelation sounds plain and unexpected. Yet, it hit me like a falling boulder from the sky. It fitted and explained everything, about how I could even survive a horde of battle-hardened soldiers, about how such warriors could die from a simple touch of mine, and how my wounds endlessly healed themselves to keep me alive.

    It was because I was a dragon, a being with eternal life and endless power, one that seemed to only exist in myth and legends. But after today, I knew¡­it was the truth.

    "That dream¡­"

    No¡­it coudn''t be¡­

    "You were imprisoned in that hidden basement for a reason. What happened today is part of that reason. You are a danger to others, Deborah. You and your power."

    "You''re lying! There''s no way it''s true!"

    Despite me saying things like that, deep inside, I knew the truth, about why I dreamed of a word-ending dragon that brought destruction to everything, because¡­I was that very dragon¡­

    "You already realized it. Don''t try to run away from it."

    "No¡­you''re wrong!"

    I burst out of the room and ran away from that place, without being able to hear what Nilrem had left to say.

    "If you don''t accept who you are¡­and what you are¡­all of this will only end in tragedy¡­"

    (To be continued)

 Chapter 49: The answers for the future (2)

    Time flew, and before I knew it, the Month of Water had arrived. The day I awoke from my slumber had faded into a memory. I couldn¡¯t believe four months had already passed from then. Finally, the time had finally arrived for my official enrollment to Melas Academy.

    But it wasn¡¯t an easy time in the past four months. What happened during the incident back in the Winter still haunted me to this day. I thought about it a lot, about how it could happen in a different way if I acted different. Was it because I lacked resolve? Was it because I lacked restraint? There were many things to thought about, but no matter what I thought of, I couldn¡¯t change the past, I couldn¡¯t revive the lives that were lost by my hands, and the people I failed to save. The Headmaster did a cover up story, but we both knew of the shameful truth.

    ¡°Never again¡­¡±

    I trained hard in the past four months, about restraint and discipline, about self-control and morality. The deal I made with Nilrem was still working, if I graduated from Melas, I would earn my freedom and allowed to leave the castle. I didn¡¯t want any more tragedies to happen because of me, which was why I would try my best to make it out of this place.

    This would be the day I make my first step. The day I would become a cadet of Melas Academy.

    I stood before the main hall of Melas castle. The place was packed with new students who wanted to enroll into the Magic Arts Department, the same as my own choice. I already knew the extent of my physical strength, it would be bad if I were to join the War Arts Department instead. The Alchemy Arts was actually a safer choice, but I wasn¡¯t very interested in it, so that left only the Magic Arts, the same as my forte because I wanted to have a good head start. How could I safely graduate if I failed in my studies?

    ¡°Still¡­It¡¯s rather amazing.¡±

    For the past four months, I had walked through the castle main hall numerous times on my path to visit the general store, but only at this moment did I realize how grandiose it was when being filled with hundreds of people in it, holding the same wish to join the Magic Arts Department as I was. The place was rowdy with noises from endless chatters of the students eager to make new friends, or just simply happy to meet their old acquaintances. All of them donned the black cloak of Melas, a symbol of their successful enrollment to Melas castle. Almost every nook and cranny were packed with people, only the center of the main hall remained empty enough if we didn¡¯t count the teachers busy setting up something for this proxy entrance test.

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    Suddenly, as I stood in awe of the sight before me, something, or rather someone, bumped into my back and fell down to the ground on their own while I barely fazed from the impact.

    ¡°Ouch! Why would you stand there and block the path for everybody? Can¡¯t you find a better place to stand?¡±

    I turned back to face the one who just bumped into me. On the ground lied a girl, a pretty girl with long purple hair tied up by a cute white ribbon at the back. She wore a frilly short black skirt and a purple stylish shirt supported by a sturdy but fashionable outer black corset, all of them lied underneath the standard black cloak of a Melas student. What separated her from the rest of the other new students were her tiny bat wings hidden beneath the cloak, and a slim black tail that ended with a heart shape head that hanged freely behind her back. She was not the same as the other demons, or rather devilmen.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Let me help.¡±

    I offered my right hand to the strange but beautiful young girl. She seemed to be the same age as me. If I played my cards right, we might become good friends in the future. Maybe¡­that would brighten the following years of my school life before I graduated and left this place.

    ¡°No thanks! I can stand just fine on my own!¡±

    The girl pushed away my right hand and forcefully stood up by herself. After cleaning off the dirt on her pretty and frilly skirt, the girl suddenly pointed her finger at my face and yelled.

    ¡°What¡¯s up with you and your freakishly tall height? With your figure, you ought to be at the War Arts Department instead of a sophisticated place like the Magic Arts!¡±

    I wished I could, but I would prove to be a danger to the people at that place. Magic Arts was the safer choice of the two, but I couldn¡¯t tell someone I just barely met about that secret.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry...¡±

    ¡°Hmm, weak-willed girl! Do you think you can survive the front line with that sort of attitude!? You¡¯ll just get yourself killed being weak like that!¡±

    Now this girl was getting obnoxious...

    ¡°But well, since you¡¯re earnestly sorry for your vile action, I, the generous Amadia Deveraux, will accept your apology! Be thankful that you¡¯re weak, because I only have my eyes for the strong!¡±

    The young girl burst out a noble lady¡¯s laugh, silent enough not to be loud and attract attention, but still obnoxious enough to get on my nerve. Just calmed down, Deborah, this girl didn¡¯t worth getting yourself worked up.

    ¡°I...see. Thank you...!¡±

    I replied. That was the best I could do. I didn¡¯t want her to get any misunderstanding. I just wanted to get this over with. This girl was bad news, the more I stayed near her, the more trouble would arise, and the last thing I wanted was to have more troubles involving me.

    ¡°Hmm! And if you excuse me, I shall take my leave. The teachers are waiting for their genius student to make her appearance, after all!¡±

    The girl bid her farewell, and just as sudden as how she appeared, the girl walked away from my sight and blended herself to the huge crowd of students, although I could still hear the sound of the girl named Amadia bumping into others on her path, and the troubles that came with it. It was lucky that my trouble with her was over...for the time being.

    ¡°That girl is bad news alright...¡±

    I mumbled to myself. I hoped I could stay away from her for the next three years.

    So much for making new friends, though. Amadia was so promising until the moment she pushed away my hand and showed off her personality. Her boisterous persona wouldn¡¯t be a fitting match for my timid and moody attitude. I guessed I would have to keep looking for the people that I could call friends.

    ¡°May I have your attention, cadets?¡±

    Seemed like the time was up to start the ceremony. I heard the voice of a teacher, which prompted the chatters to a halt and turned the attention of the new students toward the center of the main hall. Thanks to my height, despite standing far away from the crowd, I still had a good view of the main event with no difficulty.

    The teachers of the Magic Arts had gathered at the center of the main hall. There were about ten of them, enough to shoulder the weight that came from the department with the highest number of enrolled students. At the center lied a pedestal with a crystal ball on top of it, it looked rather similar to the type used by fortune tellers I read in novels. Were they going to tell our fortune before we enroll?

    ¡°Welcome to Melas Academy. My name is Walpurga Hausmannin, and I am the head of the Magic Arts Department. You had done well to pass the entrance test and make it here on this day. And after this ceremony, all of you will be officially known as a cadet of the Magic Arts.¡±

    Instead of Nilrem, who was standing among the teachers of the Magic Arts, the one to greet the new students was apparently the head of the Department, the witch called Walpurga. Her attire was truly that of a typical witch, wearing all in black from her robe to her hat, even with her long black hair and eyes. She even had a black cat soundly sleeping on her shoulder.

    ¡°The ceremony is very simple, all we want is to know your elemental affinity and soul energy capacity. This simple ceremony will definitely be of help to define your study course, your strong and weak points for improvement, which in turn will drastically increase the survival rate if all of you truly wish to brave the Dark Line and face the humans.¡±

    The witch woman pointed her hand toward the crystal orb nicely set on the wooden pedestal.

    ¡°I shall make you wait no longer! When your name gets called, please come here and put your hand onto the crystal orb. What it shows you will determine your elemental affinity and the extent of your soul energy. Consider that we have a lot of students here, those who completed their ceremony are free to leave until further notice.¡±

    The woman brought out a list of name hidden from beneath her robe and loudly read the first name written on the paper.

    ¡°Amadia Deveraux!¡±

    That was a very familiar name, and I realized how familiar it was when the girl who bumped into me earlier made her presence known to the hall as she proudly walked toward the teacher and the crystal orb.

    ¡°The Deveraux family, that means she¡¯s the seventh Asmodi¡¯s daughter!¡±

    The crowd burst into chatters and gossips as Amadia became the center of attention from everyone in the room. And she sure enjoyed it a lot, to the point of missing on the true task at hand to make a proper introduction of herself in front of all these people.

    ¡°Indeed I am! My name is Amadia Deveraux, daughter of Ashtart Deveraux, the one all of you know as the seventh Asmodi! I am here to make my mother proud, and to become a strong demon to serve the will of the Demon Realm! If you think you are strong, challenge me to a duel! I¡¯ll defeat you all to prove the power worthy of my mother¡¯s love!¡±

    That was¡­very brazen of her. It sure took a lot of courage to boldly announce something like ¡°I¡¯ll beat all of your assses¡± in front of a crowd like this. The strange thing was, no¡­it was more like as expected, the crowd took this brazen act of Amadia rather well, some even seemed to be impressed. Maybe Amadia was right, only those with the courage to claim things like that might prove to be strong enough to survive on the front line.

    My strength was unmatched, but my will was weak. I could punch people to bloody pieces, but I coudn¡¯t even clench my fist without shaking from fear. If I had Amadia¡¯s courage that day, maybe things would had turned out different.

    But that being said, she was still very obnoxious and I would love to stay away from her as far as possible.

    ¡°Impressive speech, Miss Deveraux, but we still have more important matters to attend at hand.¡±

    ¡°I know, teacher. I¡¯ll get to it right this instance.¡±

    The girl with black tail finally approached the crystal orb and put her silky white hand on it. As Amadia placed her hand, the crystal-clear orb suddenly turned black, but soon after, a light sparked from inside the orb, making a dance of thunder and lightning bolts. The bolts were as bright as daylight, and as fierce as a real thunderstorm. I guessed the answer for Amadia¡¯s elemental affinity was too obvious.

    ¡°The lightning element, a rare one to be used by a demon of the Demon Realm, or should I say as expected of a succubus descended from Ashtart herself? Either way, a very impressive demonstration, Miss Deveraux. You have a rather sizeable amount of soul energy as well, judging from the brightness of the lightning inside the orb.¡±

    Said the witch Walpurga as she wrote down Amadia¡¯s result on the same list of names.

    ¡°That is to be expected from me.¡±

    ¡°This is only the start, Amadia. I¡¯m sure soon you¡¯ll realize the path you chose isn¡¯t as simple as you thought it will be. Either way, you are done here. You may dismiss yourself, cadet Amadia Deveraux of the Magic Arts.¡±

    So Amadia had officially became a member of the Magic Arts, the ceremony earlier sealed the deal.

    ¡°Thank you, Miss Walpurga. But I would like to stay and watch the result of my fellow future classmates. I want to know who¡¯s strong and who¡¯s not for future preference.¡±

    ¡°Suit yourself, but please make way for the others.¡±

    The boastful girl nodded. She excused herself from the center of her attention and quickly found a place to spectate the others¡¯ ceremony near the teachers themselves. A rather bold move, but none of the teachers said anything about it. Probably had something to do with both her potential power and lineage.

    That confirmed it, this girl was big trouble. If I wanted to have a peaceful school life without any incidents, I needed to make sure to stay away from her as far as possible at all time.

    ¡°Let¡¯s continue the ceremony.¡±

    Walpurga resumed reading the names from the list, and the called students took their turn to partake the ceremony. Most of them had the common elements of Earth, Wind, Water or Darkness, only those descended from the Witches and Warlocks can acquire the rarer elements like Fire and Light. Some had pitiful soul energy compared to others, but what they lacked in potential might be compensable by putting efforts into training techniques. Either way, the ceremony was rather standard without anyone else bold enough to make a scene like Amadia did earlier. The girl herself seemed to be bored and was on the verge of sleeping on her feet, she probably had yet to find someone worthy enough to become her punching bag.

    ¡°Deborah Draconis!¡±

    And my turn finally arrived. I actually looked forward to this, but Amadia¡¯s presence had already killed a bit of my excitement.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    ¡°Draconis¡­but that Lord Dargoth¡¯s¡­¡±

    Unlike earlier, where merely name dropping Amadia¡¯s family name was enough to start a stream of gossip from students, now, it didn¡¯t start with gossip, but complete silence from the whole room as their gaze fixed upon me when I slowly approached the crystal orb. No chatters, no gossips, only intense gazes of disbelief. I was too scared to even look back at the people staring at me. My eyes were fixed at Nilrem, who was standing from afar to oversee the whole thing. We barely met in the past four months aside from important matters that required my presence. She probably knew I was asking for help in this moment, and she knew me well enough to know I wouldn¡¯t expect that help from her.

    Either way, there was no avoiding this. I needed to finish this quick before trouble arrived.

    ¡°Deborah Draconis. The Headmaster told me about you, granddaughter of Dargoth. You already made quite an impression with your very existence alone. Can you show me the power that came with that name?¡±

    And Walpurga just had to blabber about my relation to Dargoth, which sparked an endless amount of chatter from the crowd of students behind me. In contrary, Amadia was awfully silent in awe of the sudden turn of event.

    Geez, let¡¯s get this over with so I could bury my face behind a pillow inside my room in peace.

    I put my hand onto the crystal orb. And from inside of it, a spark of fire got ignited. It was rather obvious what my element was, considering ¡®what¡¯ I truly was. Still, for the presentation of my element to be a tiny spark of fire was still a bit¡­underwhelming.

    Suddenly, my head hurt. And I started seeing images, of a world burning in fire, with a crimson dragon roaring in the middle of the sky. The same images I saw in the nightmare that tortured me for days in the past four months, and it decided now was the time to emerge outside the dream of the night? I didn¡¯t really know, my head hurt too much to even think straight.

    But my eyes were still working, and they saw that tiny spark of flame emerged into a sea of fire, engulfing the empty space inside with the yellow flame of destruction.

    ¡°Incredible!¡±

    Said Walpurga. It did seem impressive from outside perspective, but I knew better. I couldn¡¯t shake a bad feeling inside my heart as I saw the flicker of flame ravaging the nonexistence air inside the orb. Something bad started to approach, I could sense it.

    And suddenly, it began. The flame inside the orb grew stronger, and the orb cracked.

    ¡°Everyone! Get away from here!¡±

    Nilrem shouted right at the moment the crystal orb cracked and shattered into tiny pieces of glass, unleashing the fire inside to the outside world with the intent of causing havoc and destruction. And I could only stand dumbfounded as the fire made an exception out of me and spread out across the room.

    The moment the fire spread out, chaos arose as the students ran away out of the main hall with all the strength in their legs. Walpurga luckily managed to evade in time and escaped being burned alive by the sudden fire. Together with the other teachers, Walpurga attempted to subjugate the spreading fire. In conjunction, the witches and warlocks made a barrier surrounding the spreading area, but the fire spread faster than their chanting speed. The urgency of the situation made it hard for them to concentrate on effectively preventing the fire from destroying the main hall further. The best they could do was to defend themselves and other students from harm.

    That was where Nilrem stepped in.

    The woman threw an orb toward the burning fire, and suddenly, the fire stoppped spreading further, and inversely they retreated back as if time itself had been rewound. But with a closer look, it was not really the case. The flame was sucked away by the crystal orb Nilrem threw. Through a tiny crack, the flame that escaped from the crystal orb earlier found itself being contained by another empty crystal orb. Eventually, all the fire was gone, trapped inside Nilrem¡¯s own orb. The matter had been resolved.

    But the aftermath¡­was something that I couldn¡¯t even bear to watch.

    The whole main hall burned to the ground, all the banners and flags used to decorate the place to welcome the students had been turned to ash. It looked like a war party just came here and razed the place to the ground. Lucky, it seemed like no one was injured, and the students soon came back inside the room only to witness the pitiful state of the main hall, and the culprit standing amongst the ashes.

    ¡°No¡­it was¡­not my fault¡­¡±

    And what could I do but run when being confronted by hundreds of gaze blaming me for this whole mess?

    ---------------------

    With all my strength poured into my legs, I ran away. Without even bothered to think about anything, I ran away. When I finally realized it, I found myself already ran past the opened East Gate. Stood before me was the stone bridge leading to Erkunia Forest and the rest of the Demon Realm. This was the way out of Melas castle, and I was several steps away from it.

    ¡®I screwed up again¡­¡¯

    For all that talk about self-control and restraint, I let my fear get the better of me and burned the main hall to the ground. I was indeed a danger to all these people, I didn¡¯t deserve to stay here in Melas castle, I would only bring harm to all of them. It was better¡­if I was to disappear and never be seen again.

    I needed no luggage, I wouldl be fine on my own out there¡­probably. I did regret having to leave behind the books I had yet to finish reading, it would be boring out there without any books by my side, but I had to make do, it was already too shameful for me to return to the castle.

    ¡°Farewell.¡±

    I bid my last goodbye to the castle behind me, and ran with all the strength in my legs...

    BAM!

    ¡­only to ram myself into some sort of invisible wall when I arrived at the center of the bridge. The sudden collision made me fall to the ground with a bloodied nose from the impact. It rather hurt, but not too much. The thing that hurt more than that was the feeling of having your hope of an alternative future being crushed in seconds by a literal invisible wall.

    ¡°What in the world¡­¡±

    I stood up, wiped the blood off my nose and started examining the invisible wall. It had no shape and didn¡¯t seem to be a simple wall, more like a barrier covering the whole exit leading to the rest of the Demon Realm. It didn¡¯t seem to be the physical type, considering when I tried to wipe the blood on my hand onto it, the blood didn¡¯t stuck on the invisible wall.

    That led me to my remaining option. I clenched my fist, and threw a punch at the wall with all the strength I could muster.

    BAM!

    Yet, even with the strength that could tear people apart, my punch failed to put a dent onto the invisible wall. The impact left my right knuckle bloodied, my blood fell to the stone bridge below, as if they were crying for me instead.

    ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this!?¡±

    I yelled and rammed my fists repeatedly at the wall over and over again, until I got stopped by a familiar voice.

    ¡°After everything you¡¯ve done, all you did was running away. I expected better from you, Deborah. You disappointed me.¡±

    I turned back to face the person speaking to me, the one who stopped the mess I caused, and the last person I wanted to talk to.

    ¡°Nilrem¡­what¡¯s the meaning of this?¡±

    I pointed my finger at the invisible wall, which prompted a simple sigh from the witch as her reaction.

    ¡°You already know at this point you are a danger to others, yes?¡±

    She didn¡¯t have to remind me of that, I already knew it too well¡­

    ¡°Do you think I want to put the rest of the Demon Realm to be at risk of facing the same danger?¡±

    ¡°So what exactly is this!?¡±

    I yelled.

    ¡°A magic barrier. On papers, it is used to prevent magical attacks and summoned beings from the outside, but in reality¡­it is a cage I made to prevent you from going outside and make contact with the rest of the world.¡±

    So in the end, I was merely a dangerous beast that needed to be contained, was that what Nilrem meant?

    ¡°Damn it¡­damn everything¡­¡±

    I fell to my knees. Despite my strength, I felt like my body was growing weak. I already had a few ideas the moment my punch failed to work, but to had that fact thrown to my face by Nilrem¡­it hurt my heart.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me¡­about this¡­?¡±

    ¡°You never ask.¡±

    I would if I knew about it.

    ¡°You were a good girl for the past four months, Deborah. I was actually afraid of the day you find out about this. I would prefer not to let you know until necessary, but what I promised you was the truth. If you graduate, I¡¯ll give you the freedom to leave Melas castle, no strings attached.¡±

    Even so, that didn¡¯t change the fact that I was forced to live inside a gilded cage, because I was a danger to others.

    ¡°However, consider what happened today, I need to take a more extreme approach to prevent you from harming others. I trusted you with your own freedom to keep yourself in check for the past four months, and you did well enough to prevent something similar to the incident four months ago from happening again¡­until today¡­I hope you understand, Deborah.¡±

    So just locking me up wasn¡¯t enough, now she wanted to keep me in chains as well?

    But if that was what needed to be done, then so be it.

    ¡°Do what you want, I¡¯ll comply¡­I just don¡¯t want to hurt anyone any more¡­¡±

    The witch just simply nodded.

    ¡°Thank you, Deborah¡­for being understanding.¡±

    ------------------

    After the bief meeting at the bridge, I followed Nilrem to her office, where another ceremony would take place with me as its only participant, according to what Nilrem said. As the two of us got inside the office, the witch carefully locked tight the door and gave me the signal to follow her inside. Her room was still a mess like always, it had been a while since the last time I visited her office, yet it barely changed from what I remembered.

    Nilrem waved her hand, and suddenly, the piles of books occupying the center of the room got blown away by a gust of wind, clearing the room at one place and leaving a mess at another, but it seemed like Nilrem didn¡¯t care, the center of the room was the only place she needed for this ceremony of hers.

    The witch took out a knife from beneath her cloak, and with it, she made a slash at the palm of her right hand, leaving behind a wound deep enough to keep blood flowed out of her hand like a fountain. Before I had a chance to be surprised, the woman took a walk around the center of the room, letting her blood flowed down and formed a circle, a magic circle to be precise.

    ¡°The reason for today¡¯s incident was because of your rapidly growing power, Deborah.¡±

    Rapidly¡­growing¡­?

    ¡°When you first awoke from your slumber, the toll of the long sleep had waned your innate power somewhat, but with time, the power of a dragon like you has rapidly returned by itself. Given enough time, your power will eventually become strong enough to burn the world to ashes.¡±

    When she finished the magic circle, Nilrem took out a handkerchief to keep the blood from draining out of her hand as she continued her explanation.

    ¡°And that¡¯s not a good thing. What happened today is just the beginning. You are unable to control the vast power you possess. Your power is destructive by nature, if left unchecked, it will spell ruin not only to Airumel, but to yourself as well.¡±

    ¡°And how can I control it?¡±

    I tried not to use it, I tried not to get into situations that I had to use it, yet the incident at the main hall still happened. What was it that she wanted me to do!?

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid the only solution left is for you to regularly use it until you get a hold of it. But that¡¯s not you want, right? And not what I want as well. The whole castle will be at risk if I give you the freedom to freely use your power.¡±

    Said Nilrem.

    ¡°And what exactly you want me to do?¡±

    The woman sighed.

    ¡°It¡¯s not about what I want you to do, it¡¯s about what I¡¯m going to do to you.¡±

    The way she spoke scared me a little, but at this point, nothing scared me more than my own self.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to put a seal on you to limit your power. This seal is called the ¡¸Seven Layers Seal¡¹. It will not stop the accumulation of your power over time, but it will drastically limit the output of the power you can use. The seal is separated into layers, the more layers get lifted, the more power you can use. I don¡¯t want you to see yourself as a prisoner of mine, so I¡¯ll teach you how to open the seal later.¡±

    A limiter that would prevent the overuse of my power. That was...what I desperately needed.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do it! I mean...please, put that seal on me, so that what happened today will never happen again.¡±

    The witch stared at me before she replied.

    ¡°What I offered you is just a temporary solution. It will not make your problem magically goes away. This seal isn¡¯t a hundred percent guarantee that you will not make another mess in the future. Knowing this, and you still want me to put this seal on you?¡±

    ¡°Anything is better than what I currently am. I don¡¯t want to unwillingly harm others anymore.¡±

    I clenched my fists and announced my intention. What happened today was the last straw. I didn¡¯t want to live knowing one day I would put the lives of others around me at risk. This was what needed to be done. I needed to be kept in check.

    ¡°Very well, let¡¯s begin.¡±

    Nilrem suddenly smirked.

    ¡°First, strip off your clothes.¡±

    What...?

    ¡°What...?¡±

    ¡°They will get in the way of the ceremony.¡±

    But that didn¡¯t mean I could simply strip off so sudden like that...

    ¡°I have enough decency to tightly lock the door for you. So are you going to do this or not?¡±

    Geez, this woman really knew how to put someone into an awakward situation. Told someone they were a danger to others at one point and told them to strip away their clothes at another.

    ¡°Fine...¡±

    I had no other choice. I needed my power to be sealed away. It couldn¡¯t be helped. Since Nilrem was a woman as well, it should be fine...right?

    ¡°Make it quick, I don¡¯t have all day.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to urge. I¡¯m just...not mentally prepared for this...¡±

    I took off the shoes first, next the black cloak and slowly continued with my white shirt and black skirt. When I was down to my undies, I gave a glance at Nilrem to check whether this was enough. Nilrem replied simply by batting an eyebrow at me, to urge me to finish the job.

    ''This is so embarrassing...''

    ...which I did. Now, with my red undies gone, I was truly naked before Nilrem, with only my hands to protect what needed to be protected. Even though she was a woman, I had never consciously shown my naked body to anyone else. It was very embarrassing for me to let loose like this...

    ¡°You have grown into a very beautiful woman, Deborah. Any guy would be lucky to have you by his side.¡±

    Did...she just praise me...?

    ¡°That being said, the height would be a rather big minus. It¡¯s rare to find someone into that sort of thing, though it¡¯s not like they don¡¯t exist.¡±

    This was simply ridiculous...

    ¡°Please...get it over with. It¡¯s embarrassing to be seen like this.¡±

    I just wanted to get back to my room and buried my head to the pillow for the rest of the day...

    ¡°What a bummer, just when things start to get fun. But well, you¡¯re right. Please step inside the circle and stand still.¡±

    I did what she said. I just wanted to get this over as quick as possible so that I could bury myself in shame in peace.

    The woman held her hand to the air, her mouth started chanting the incantation. The magic circle made of blood suddenly glowed as I sense soul energy being filled across the room.

    ¡¸O ???v?n ?nb ?????, I ??ll uqon ??? win?? o? q?o????ion.

    To ?uib? ? lo?? ??ilb ?om?, ?o ?uib? ? lo?? l?md d???.¡¹

    A gentle gust of wind flowed across the room, which rapidly flipped the pages of the books on the ground, making it sound like an orchestra performing a musical movement.

    ¡¸???n? m? you? ??i?lb, ??i?? uq you? dl?b?, o???? you? o???, ?md???? you? q?omi??

    To ???in m? wi?? you? lov?, ?o dinb m? wi?? you? ??u??¡¹

    As Nilrem completed the second verse of the spell, the glowing magic circle made of blood suddenly splitted itself into four snake-like moving lines and crawled across the ground toward my feet. The moment they made contact with my naked feet, my skin felt like burning as if there was a hot iron glued on my feet, and that was simply the start. As more verses from Nilrem¡¯s spell got chanted, the faster the lines of blood climbed up my body, burning away every inches of naked skin that I laid bare for them to invade. I was on the verge of screaming, but I was stronger than that. This was just a part of the ceremony, I wouldn¡¯t let pain stop me from doing what had to be done!

    ¡¸T??ou?? ??? q??? o? lov?, ??? ?on????? i? ?omql???b.

    T??ou?? ??? ????i?i?? o? dloob, ??? ?on????? will n?v?? d? d?o??n.

    T??ou?? ??? ??u?? o? donb, ??? ?on????? will d? ????b.

    Anb ?o, l?? i? d? bon?, l?? i? d? ???in?b, l?? i? d? ????.¡¹

    When the final verse was completed, all the lines of blood gathered to my navel, near where the strange tattoo resided on my body. They once again splitted themselves, this time into seven smaller lines circling around the tattoo, eventually formed into seven feathers of blood neatly arranged to resemble a circle. When Nilrem finished chanting, I let myself free to fall down to the ground, with my breath heavy and my body drenched in sweat.

    ¡°You did well to endure the ceremony, Deborah.¡±

    Said Nilrem, she herself also crouched down to see the result of her work, the seven feathers that acted as a symbol for the seven layers capable of putting my dangerous power on hold.

    ¡°Just right around where your Dark Seal is, so symbolic¡­¡±

    Dark Seal?

    ¡°You know what it is?¡±

    ¡°Yes I am. But that¡¯s for another time, you are exhausted, get some rest.¡±

    Nilrem stood up and began cleaning the mess she made from the start. I guessed she was right. I really needed a good sleep, considering everything that happened today.

    As I was in the middle of wearing back my clothes, Nilrem suddenly opened her mouth for another conversation.

    ¡°The seal will help prevent you from overusing your power, but it does not prevent the accumulation of your power over time. Eventually, it will grow so powerful to the point you may get overwhelmed by it should you choose to release a layer off the seal. Your power is destructive by nature, by any chance something like that happen, you may find yourself losing your own sense of self, and become a feral dragon of destruction.¡±

    That was¡­really scary, and it was a believable fear that I did not want to come true. The nightmare I had everyday was enough to convince me that would be a really bad thing.

    ¡°I want you to promise something, Deborah. One day, you may find yourself in a situation that requires releasing a layer off your seal for more power, when that happens, promise me one thing: If you think you can¡¯t control your power at that point, DO NOT release a layer off the seal!¡±

    She was right, nobody wanted it to happen, and I held the same view as well. I wouldn¡¯t let myself be consumed by this power of mine and threatened the safety of the people around me. I knew I could do it. I would not let this power of mine consume me into madness!

    ¡°I promise you....I won¡¯t!¡±

 Chapter 49: The answers for the future (Bonus chapter)

    Another morning, another day. But today was a bit more special than the other. It wasn¡¯t my birthday, which I did not know of. It was not my graduation day, because there were still two more years left until that day, even if I looked forward to it.

    Today¡­was the day that I had to summon my familiar.

    After finishing my daily morning preparations, I donned the black cloak of Melas and walked out of the room to head for the location the summoning ritual would take place.

    Things had been rather quiet lately for me, there wasn¡¯t any notable trouble caused by my power. The seal did wonders at holding me back, for which I was grateful.

    But just because the problem with my power had been temporary solved for the time being didn¡¯t mean I would have an easy school life because of it. The gap of life experience and my innate fear of hurting others had made my school life quite a tough one, and then there was the issue with Amadia bugging me day after day. But I finally managed to make some friends, however few they were.

    But today¡­I needed to face with another problem, my future familiar¡­

    ¡°Oh¡­Off early to class, Miss Draconis?¡±

    As I walked on the hallway leading to the courtyard, where the summoning class would take place, fate just had to arrange a rare meeting for me with the busy Headmaster Nilrem.

    ¡°Good morning, Headmaster. As they said, the early bird catches the worm.¡±

    ¡°And what do you expect to catch, Miss Draconis?¡±

    She really knew how to ask question that made people feel awkward, as always¡­

    ¡°A fitting familiar.¡±

    ¡°Ah, so it¡¯s that day already. I remember the first time I summon my familiar as well. A beast bound to your soul through a connection that transcends dimensions, it¡¯s romantic in a sense.¡±

    I stayed silent. I couldn¡¯t make up a good enough topic to gossip about, especially to Nilrem herself. It was not like I came here prepared for a chat.

    ¡°I have heard good things about you lately, Deborah. The model student, always at the top of her class in performance, though not in attitude. Still very impressive, nonetheless. As expected of Dargoth¡¯s granddaughter, I think?¡±

    ¡°I intend to graduate out of this Academy, and I want to make sure that I absolutely can.¡±

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    But being at the top came with its own problem as well, like how easily forgettable I was compared to some grandiose title like being Dargoth¡¯s granddaughter.

    ¡°And I never doubt that you can¡¯t. You have already proved yourself to be far more capable than most students in the Academy. Have you heard what they called you lately? Flame Dragon! Ha, if only they know.¡±

    That was a secret, of course. I couldn¡¯t just blabber the fact that I was a flame dragon to people around me. Still, it was rather surprising that the people who made that nickname actually hit the mark rather well. Despite disliking it, I still found that nickname rather amusing.

    ¡°So, what type of familiar will be the most fitting for the Flame Dragon, I wonder? They say master and familiar share a bond that makes summoning the familiar possible because of how similar they are to their master. I already have my hands full with you alone, if you summon another dragon with personality similar to you, maybe I¡¯ll consider a quick resignation.¡±

    Yes, it was my fear as well. With my innate power, summoning another dragon from the dimension of Celestia wasn¡¯t something impossible to do.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡±

    Which was why I intended to botch my summoning ritual so that it would summon something else. I didn¡¯t want something strong, I just wanted something obedient and would follow every order I make.

    ¡°How can you be so sure?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just a feeling.¡±

    Nilrem seemed to have ran out of questions to ask, or maybe she felt like doing something more productive than having a chat with her student. The woman turned her back to me and prepared to leave, but not without throwing away some warning.

    ¡°Well, I hope you won¡¯t cause any trouble today. I guess you hold the same view as I am. We both want a peaceful life if we can help it.¡±

    ¡°I know, Headmaster.¡±

    The woman quickly left the area. I resumed on my own journey as well, toward the castle¡¯s courtyard, toward the summoning class where I would summon the familiar bound to me, only for something else to appear because I would meddle with the ritual.

    No matter what appeared, I just hoped my new familiar would not cause me a lot of troubles in the future.

 Chapter 50: The path of resolution

    ¡¸West of Melas castle ¨C Almost noon¡¹

    Considering the mess caused by literally everything from the start of this war, the path way beyond the West side of Melas castle is awfully quiet. Snow is falling, as if the sky wants to give the burned and crushed trees a proper burial by covering them under the white snow. The atmosphere starts to get colder.

    But somehow, I find myself being kept warm by a small but still burning anger inside my heart.

    ¡°You¡¯re awfully quiet after hearing the answers you demanded of me. I thought you would be more¡­reactive than that.¡±

    Says the one leading the way, the witch Nilrem, who told me everything about Deborah¡¯s life one year prior to this war. About Deborah¡¯s awakening from her slumber beneath Melas castle, about the day she tried to stop the execution of the human prisoners, about her mess up at the Magic Arts entrance ceremony, her following failed escape attempt, and the Seven Layers Seal.

    ¡°Are you actually a heartless person beneath that fa?ade of yours, Akuma?¡±

    The Headmaster suddenly stops her track and turns her head toward me as she says her line. Her smug smile and the way she speak makes it look like she¡¯s trying to provoke me. No, she¡¯s not trying, she¡¯s actually provoking me.

    And in a fit of anger, I take the bait. Letting my rage takes the helm of my body, I find my left hand suddenly grabs a hold of Nilrem by the neck of her robe. I almost let my remaining arm throw a punch at her face, but thankfully, I¡¯m still sane enough to know that¡¯s a bad thing and something that I shouldn¡¯t spend time doing at this moment.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Did I hurt your familiar¡¯s feeling?¡±

    The woman smirks when she knows I took her bait. I can totally punch her right here, and a part of me want to, but¡­that¡¯s not right. That¡¯s not something I should do just because I¡¯m angry at her. I need to be sane, she¡¯s just trying to toy with me. By punching her, that means Nilrem win this little mind game she¡¯s trying to make me play with her.

    ¡°I hate to admit it, but everything you did were right. If I was in your shoe, I would had done the same¡­¡±

    The smug smile on Nilrem disappears the moment my words reach her ears, as if she doesn¡¯t expect me to understand her actions. I do understand what¡¯s needed to be done, however¡­

    ¡°But you don¡¯t have to be such a jerk about it.¡±

    Locking Deborah in the castle with a barrier was necessary, only allowing her freedom after her graduation was necessary, even sealing her power was the only way for people to be safe. All of those, I understand, but¡­

    ¡°You treated Deborah as if she was a dangerous animal, but I know better than that. She was merely a scared girl unaware of the world around her! Just like I was¡­back when I first arrived in this world¡­Unlike her, I at least have some experience from the life before I came here, but Deborah¡­she knew nothing, like a na?ve newborn¡­she desperately needed help, but you only showed up either because you wanted to get something out of her, or because you simply needed to clean her mess! If you had to be so irresponsible, then why even released her from her slumber in the first place!¡±

    Nilrem¡¯s smile completely disappears, replaced by an emotionless frown, almost like a soulless doll that I have never seen her putting on before in front of people.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t the one who released her. If it was up to me, I would let her continue her sleep until the end of eternity.¡±

    I get stunned for a moment. If Nilrem wasn¡¯t the one who released Deborah, then who did?

    ¡°Deborah Draconis¡­I have always hate that girl ever since her birth. I don¡¯t remember how many times I wished that cursed being shouldn¡¯t have been born to begin with. There were nights I prayed that she somehow ended up dead just so I could know peace. But that girl is loved by Anul. She¡¯ll survive everything this world throws at her. So wishes can only be wishes.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re¡­a cruel woman, Nilrem.¡±

    The more truth she reveals, the stronger the grip of my hand becomes. I¡¯m almost on the verge of punching the Headmaster of Melas Academy for real, but I know¡­it will be meaningless. I¡¯m not here to judge Nilrem for what she did, I¡¯m here with her to try and stop Deborah before she kills us all. Attacking Nilrem will give me nothing but false satisfaction.

    ¡°Don¡¯t take me for a Saint, I betrayed my comrades to join the demons because of my own personal desire. I willing to let mankind and demonkind burn to the ground if it means to fulfill my goal.¡±

    I know she truly means it, the time I spent around her is enough to know she¡¯s willing to sell her own soul if it earns her something from it.

    ¡°But taking Deborah out of her prison didn¡¯t fulfill any of my goals. Nothing that concerns her did. I risked the lives of my students and teachers just to let Deborah see the daylight again. I was willing to let her go to the rest of the world on my terms. I even allowed her time to try to control herself after what she did to our soldiers until the girl proved she couldn¡¯t do it by herself. What would I gain from letting a dragon roam free like that? Just look around you, and see what I lost because of it.¡±

    A realm in shambles, forests in flame, and untold dead bodies left behind Deborah¡¯s wake. I don¡¯t even need to look around to know what Nilrem¡¯s implying.

    I let my hand off her cloak. I still haven¡¯t forgive her, but I can¡¯t deny the little deeds she made defined Deborah as she is today, before that stupid girl screwed up anyway.

    Nilrem fixes her robe after my little burst of violence messed up her attire, yet still she has yet to return to her teacher fa?ade and scold me for my brutish action. The woman in a young girl body just simply turns her back on me before concluding our little chat.

    ¡°There will be times when you are forced to do things that go against your own principals, and you have no other choices but to do it regardless. I¡¯m not asking for your sympathy, but the least what you should know is the truth about what I felt of Deborah, and what I did regardless of that. Now, let us move, we wasted enough time already.¡±

    I silently nod. This is not the time for inner bickering. No matter what Nilrem did, no matter what Deborah suffered through, it doesn¡¯t change the truth that she must be stopped.

    I continue to follow Nilrem, who¡¯s leading the way. Despite my sudden outburst earlier, she still remains silent without pursuing her own revenge for my insolence. I want to believe she¡¯s feeling remorse about what I said, but it¡¯s a bit hard to believe in it considering the type of person she is. She does seem to be the type who¡¯ll hold a grudge, though. I just hope she won¡¯t cause me further troubles just because of my insolence.

    Jeez, let¡¯s put a stop to this, Akuma. You need to focus on the matter at hand!

    ¡°So what are we going to do when get to Deborah?¡±

    Try to make up with her and let all bygones be bygones, ignoring all the death and destruction she caused? If only it will be that easy.

    ¡°The original plan is to kill Deborah immediately at the first sign she goes berserk. But¡­ever since your appearance, there has been a change of plan.¡±

    ¡°What sort of plan?¡±

    I reply, despite already having a rough sketch of her contingency plan in my head. There¡¯s only one reason to explain why she allowed me to live together with Deborah to begin with.

    ¡°Take a guess why I brought you here?¡±

    Nilrem sure is trying her best to make things harder for me.

    ¡°You want me to talk some sense to Deborah? I¡¯ll be lucky if she doesn¡¯t tear me to bits the moment our eyes meet.¡±

    Maybe she doesn¡¯t even need our eyes to meet, she¡¯ll just have to throw a fireball at me to make it quick before resuming to destroy what¡¯s still left.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t mere coincidence you were summoned by Deborah.¡±

    Says the witch.

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°Deborah performed her summoning ritual when her power was still restricted by the Seven Layers Seal. Her energy output was limited. Assuming she had a truly powerful familiar awaiting her out there across the dimension, Deborah would still unable to summon it, which was why you were summoned instead. You are the being closest to Deborah in spirit, though not in power. The similarity between both of you made such thing possible.¡±

    I am similar to that girl? From what I know, she¡¯s actually the opposite of me in everything, the last thing I want to hear is how similar we are.

    ¡°You¡¯re both stubborn, foolish, selfish, unruly and occasionally absent-minded, but deep down, both of you have a good heart that just want to do the right thing. Maybe you two often fight each other over everything precisely because of how similar you are.¡±

    ¡°I¡­won¡¯t deny that.¡±

    Maybe I already know about it from the start, and I just can¡¯t realize it because I don¡¯t want to admit our similarity. My foolish pride doesn¡¯t allow me to accept Deborah as someone who¡¯s in need of a purpose like me. I was clouded by my own prejudice against her, who could only see Deborah as a perfect being, in a higher plane a mortal like me could not reach, but in the end, after hearing her story from Nilrem, I realized that¡­Deborah is just another pitiful being like I am.

    And I lashed out on her merely because my head thought my problems were worse than hers. I got angry merely without even trying to reach behind the fa?ade she put on. All these death and destruction, they were partly my fault for not listening when I should be.

    ¡°But you just had to pick the worst time to have a fight with each other. I did everything I could allow to get you to form a bond with her. I threw difficult tasks at you to make both of you overcome it together. But they all failed, the two of you pushed yourselves far from each other precisely because of how similar you two are. Now, I doubt your voice can even reach her and make her snap out of it. By bringing you along, I already made a dangerous gamble with a very low odd of winning.¡±

    I can see Nilrem holding tight her magic staff as she walks. I doubt it¡¯s not because of the cold from the falling snow, it¡¯s something else. Fear, or doubt, I do not know, but her own uneasiness makes me fear a bit for the things yet to come.

    ¡°What if I fail to make Deborah return to normal? What will you do after that?¡±

    I ask.

    ¡°Simply put, I just return to the original plan.¡±

    To kill Deborah¡­

    ¡°Do you think you can actually make it happen? She¡¯s a dragon after all. At this point, I doubt that she can even die.¡±

    Not even a giant tree that reached the cloud could make Deborah feel threatened, what chance does Nilrem has?

    ¡°It¡¯s not like I haven¡¯t seen dragons die before. I can do this.¡±

    The witch returns to her smirk smile from before as she begins to explain.

    ¡°Dragons are creatures made by Anul, naturally, they are a bit vulnerable to powers that originate from the Light God Lielos. Dragons are no exceptions. Among Lielos¡¯s powers, dragons are most vulnerable from the element Fire and Lightning. Deborah is a Flame Dragon so fire is a no no, but I just happened to possess the title of Thunder God back in the old days. You catch my drift?¡±

    So basically Nilrem will fry Deborah alive with her lightning spells if our little talk fails.

    ¡°The plan is simple, you go and talk to Deborah, I¡¯ll stay behind to prepare my spell. My soul energy is already at its limit, we only have one shot for this. If the talk fails, the least you should do is try to get Deborah where my spell can reach her and if you can, make her stay still for a bit, although the latter is easier said than done.¡±

    I actually hope for the talk to succeed, considering Deborah is still my master. If she dies, what will happen to me even if I¡¯m alive afterward? The best is I¡¯ll be stuck in this world forever without any ways to get back to Earth, which may not be as bad as it sounds. The worst¡­I can¡¯t think of anything about the worst, but it¡¯ll be bad for sure!

    ¡°Do you really need to kill Deborah?¡±

    ¡°Better sooner than later. The more time she gets, the more intelligence she¡¯ll regain.¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t it be a good thing?¡±

    I mean, if she regains her intelligence, won¡¯t it make her become normal again?

    ¡°She¡¯ll regain her intelligence, not her empathy. Calculated destruction is just as deadly as destruction caused by madness. Deborah is the living embodiment of the destructive desire of a dragon right now, that thing gaining intelligence will only make things worse. She¡¯ll be able to know how to unlock the remaining layers to regain her power, although she doesn¡¯t even need to unlock half the layers to turn the Demon Realm to a wasteland.¡±

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    So if I fail, there¡¯s no other choice other than killing Deborah?

    That means failure is not an option. I will make this work, I will make Deborah snap out of this before she becomes the world¡¯s enemy.

    ¡°Then we have no time to waste. Let¡¯s hurry!¡±

    As I say my words, I speed up my legs to walk in front of Nilrem, despite her being the one leading the way from the start. But I already have a grasp on where we should go, just follow the trails of destruction, and eventually, we¡¯ll reach Deborah.

    Nilrem is still walking behind me, without any intention to take charge of the way again. That is my thought, until I turn back to see what¡¯s taking her so slow and realize her attention is focused on me.

    ¡°I have heard the story from Lapidoth. You suffered a grave wound from Origen, yet you managed to recover quick enough to defeat the one who did it to you the next day. Have you ever thought about why?¡±

    ¡°Lapidoth said I was protected by some sort of guardian, or fate itself is trying to keep me alive.¡±

    Although at this point, I already have some clues about who that guardian might be.

    ¡°You are being kept alive because of the bond you have with Deborah as a Master and Familiar. Her soul energy is constantly being drained to maintain your existence here on Airumel. Although far from giving you immortality, it¡¯s still strong enough to help save you from the brink of death thanks to Deborah¡¯s release of her seal, enabling more soul energy for her to use and support you.¡±

    So the reason I''m still alive after everything I went through was because of Deborah¡¯s help. Why am I not surprise?

    ¡°But you were lucky to have a moment to recover. Origen¡¯s mercy backfired on him. But you won¡¯t find that mercy when facing Deborah as she is right now. She¡¯ll relentlessly pursue you until you¡¯re dead. And unlike Origen, the current Deborah doesn¡¯t have mercy to spare. You won¡¯t even have a chance to recover when being attacked by Deborah. Knowing all this, do you still want to go through with this plan?¡±

    It¡¯s too late for her to try and scare me off. I already know what I have to do, regardless of the risk that entails.

    ¡°Of course, if someone doesn¡¯t do something, everyone will die.¡±

    I continue marching onward, yet this time, Nilrem doesn¡¯t move her feet and just stays behind me.

    ¡°Do you even know fear, Akuma? Or it¡¯s just simply foolishness and recklessness that motivate you to move forward?¡±

    Says Nilrem as our eyes meet.

    ¡°I fear many things. But I don¡¯t fear Deborah like you do.¡±

    I reply Nilrem with the words I found in my heart.

    ¡°You can only see her as a being who only know how to bring destruction, something to be feared, and you were right, Deborah is a dragon who brought destruction to the things around her. But to me, the one who claims to be my master is simply a foolish and na?ve girl who¡¯s stubborn to a fault. She¡¯s nasty, snarky, annoying when she thinks she¡¯s not, and is actually a bit cruel despite claiming she¡¯s a kind girl at heart. Maybe you already know Deborah from a long time ago, but I only know the current Deborah that I met for only a month, her being a dragon of destruction won¡¯t change what I think about her.¡±

    The Headmaster looks stunned, almost to the point of dropping her jaw to the ground. This is the first time I actually see her getting shocked from something, considering the vast amount of knowledge she has. But this is only the start, I¡¯ll surprise her even more.

    ¡°I¡¯m not here to help you kill a dragon of destruction. I¡¯m here to bring that stupid girl Deborah Draconis back to Melas. I still have unfinished business with her after all, and as I always say to people I met, I don¡¯t do things half-assed!¡±

    As I finish my declaration, the Headmaster suddenly¡­bursts out a laugh. Not a smile nor a smirk, she literally laughs out loud, with her hand trying to contain the laughter from breaking her stomach. She just has to break the mood like that. Damn the woman! Or girl, or woman who looks like a girl!

    ¡°Ahahaha¡­That¡¯s a good one! I haven¡¯t laugh this hard in the last thousand years! Really appreciate it, Akuma. You being here in this world maybe a good thing, after all.¡±

    ¡°S-Shut up! We need to move quick! Stop laughing and move your ass!¡±

    Geez, maybe I should add Nilrem¡¯s laugh to my ¡°The last thing I want to X¡± list.

    -------------

    After following the trail of destruction left behind Deborah¡¯s wake, the two of us find a clue that hasn¡¯t been destroyed by the falling snow.

    A trail of flesh blood on the snow pathway, along with a field of corpses from the soldiers of both sides, demon and humans alike. I don¡¯t want to describe this battleground by words, it will only help sicken my already bad stomach.

    ¡°Deborah must be nearby.¡±

    I mumble. While Nilrem may have her own questions about why there are demon soldiers together with human soldiers in this kind of place, but we both know what matters most right now is to stop Deborah.

    ¡°Akuma, take this and put it on your finger.¡±

    The Headmaster suddenly takes out something from beneath her cloak and throws it at me. It¡¯s something small and when I catch it, I realize it¡¯s a golden ring. I don¡¯t know what Nilrem¡¯s planning, but I know she won¡¯t joke around in a time like this. I quickly put the ring on my index finger. Never wear a ring before, so I have some trouble at first, but eventually I make it work.

    ¡®Can you hear me, Akuma?¡¯

    Suddenly, a voice rings in my head. That voice is almost identical to the voice of Nilrem. I turn my gaze at the witch and realize there¡¯s a similar ring as the one I¡¯m wearing on her finger.

    ¡®Don¡¯t look so surprised. The one I gave you is part of a pair of rings called the Rings of Thought Transference. They enable telepathy and limited mind reading for the wearers. We are going to face Deborah, best that we keep quiet without losing the ability to keep contact.¡¯

    Well, that explains it.

    ¡®Right, got it. And please don¡¯t read too much inside my mind. You really don¡¯t want to.¡¯

    I transmit my own thoughts to the end of the line.

    ¡®Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t. Now, let¡¯s review the plan again. You¡¯ll go in there and do your pep talk with Deborah, I¡¯ll stay at somewhere safe to prepare the spell. When you think you failed, give me the signal when Deborah is motionless so that my spell can work.¡¯

    ¡®So I need to do the dangerous work while you safely watch from the rear? Seems fair.¡¯

    It¡¯s kind of funny, having a conversation with your head, almost makes me feel like I have an imaginary friend that I can talk toanytime.

    ¡®I¡¯m a witch, what are you expecting? Me charging head on and bash her skull with my staff?¡¯

    Seems like even Nilrem herself is tired with chatting online through her head, she gives the signal to move on without making any sound. I guess we are really wasting our time talking. I follow behind Nilrem this time. We are already near where Deborah might be, this has already became another battlefield.

    Eventually, when we get past the field of corpses, we hear the sounds of fighting, although when we get to the site of the event, what we see is hardly a fight, but a hunt.

    Two soldiers standing with their sword pointing at the mad dragon girl. One human, one demon, and one dragon. The two soldiers charge at Deborah with their weapons on hand, but the two of them get swiftly dealt with as if they are merely annoying flies. Deborah bashes away the demon soldier, which puts a huge hole on his chest despite his thick iron armor. The human soldier finds his body being torn into many different pieces thanks to Deborah¡¯s claws.

    But that¡¯s not the worst. The mad dragon still keeps her hold on the human soldier¡¯s remaining torso. He is already dead from the sheer pain and shock, but Deborah seems to have some business left to fulfill with his dead torso. With her claws, the dragon girl tears the armor off the torso and lies bare the naked flesh out¡­which she then devours the flesh like a wild carnivore.

    ¡®This is¡­cannibalism¡­!¡¯

    ¡®Wrong. Cannibalism implies the act of consuming the flesh between two members of the same species, and as you can see, Deborah¡¯s currently not feasting on another dragon like her. This is only what dragons do, they stand at the top of the food chain, and devour everything beneath them for breakfast, lunch, dinner and super, maybe the occasional snacks as well.¡¯

    I¡¯m more surprised at Nilrem¡¯s nonchalant attitude despite what¡¯s happening before our eyes. I guess that comes with many years fearing a living dragon sleeping beneath your castle.

    ¡®If you want to fear a dragon, now¡¯s a good time to do it.¡¯

    ¡®Forget it! Just finish this quick, before my courage fails me!¡¯

    Nilrem simply smirks, before putting her hand on my shoulder and quietly chants some spell. When the woman is finished, I feel a familiar feeling in my legs.

    ¡®The Speed Enhance spell. This will help you run away in case things go haywire.¡¯

    ¡®And comes with a heavy cost after it¡¯s done. But right now, it¡¯s what I need.¡¯

    I walk out of our hiding place and prepare myself to face Deborah.

    ¡®I¡¯ll place a barrier to prevent outsiders messing with our plan and then prepare my spell after that. Meanwhile, you try not to get yourself killed.¡¯

    ¡®Got it!¡¯

    I can hear the sound of Nilrem walking away to another location. That leaves me alone with Deborah, who has yet to notice my presence.

    I approach the girl and manage to get closer to her, albeit in a safe distance, enough for my voice to reach the girl, and still far enough for me to run away in case she decides to talk with her fists.

    ¡®Here goes nothing¡­¡¯

    ¡°Deborah!¡±

    I yell out loud, which prompts the girl in question to turn her gaze to my direction.

    Our eyes meet for the first time since yesterday. Just one day, yet it has already felt like an eternity. The eyes I¡¯m looking at are no longer the scared red eyes of a girl in search of herself, now, they are blood-cladded eyes of a beast hungry for flesh, but those eyes seem to waver for a bit when our gazes meet. Deborah drops the half-eaten body in surprise, but the intense pressure radiated from everything about her still helps keeping me on guard. This is only the beginning of my struggle.

    ¡°You don¡¯t look so good.¡±

    Deborah starts to walk sideway, her eyes still fixed on my position, but she has yet to resume her hunting stance. Maybe this can work!

    ¡°Normally, I would ask: ¡°Was it because of something you ate?¡±. Knowing you, you would always deny it by saying something like: ¡°No! Are you stupid or what?¡±. That¡¯s usually what would happen. But if I say something like that in this kind of situation, it will become really awkwa¡­¡±

    ¡°RAGRHHH!¡±

    Suddenly, Deborah lunges at me from her position, with a speed compareable a bullet shot hot out of a gun barrel. Her claws are aiming at me, together with the fangs hidden behind her blood-soaked pretty lips. But thanks to the Speed Enhancement spell casted by Nilrem, I manage to run away in time before I find myself suffering the similar fate to her previous victims.

    ¡°Well¡­that was less awkward...and more life threatening.¡±

    Deborah still has yet to charge at me again, despite her sudden outburst earlier. She seems¡­conflicted, between hunting me to feast on me, and to stay away and protect me from harm caused by her own impulses.

    ¡°This confirms it¡­¡±

    I talk to her.

    ¡°You are still being dominated by your dragon self, aren¡¯t you, Deborah? You want to kill me, to tear me apart, to devour me, right? I understand that, it¡¯s your instinct as a dragon, and now you are being controlled by it¡­but not completely.¡±

    I smile at Deborah.

    ¡°¡­because you listened. Just for a brief moment, you stood still and listened to my meaningless banter. You are still there, right, Deborah? Despite your hunger for flesh and destruction, the Deborah I know still exists somewhere beneath your red scales.¡±

    I point my finger at the dragon girl and yell out loud.

    ¡°Deborah, just you wait, I¡¯ll save you from your own self!¡±

 Chapter 51: The end of strife

    Deborah roars. Her roar sounds more like a wounded beast than a predator on the hunt. Our eyes meet. All I can see in her bloodshot eyes are her intense fixation on me, as if I¡¯m going to be her next meal on the menu. Did the speech earlier fail to work, or work too well?

    Either way, the real deal starts here! Only I can save her now!

    ¡°ARRRAAHHHH!¡±

    Deborah channels fire onto her claws, and when the fire grows to the size of a basketball, Deborah throws a barrage of fireballs at my location.

    With the enhancement bestowed upon me by Nilrem, I swiftly dodge the oncoming fire of destruction simply by running away. The moment the fireballs hit the ground, my previous location quickly turns to a mini wasteland from the blast of the fire. The firepower is probably equal, no, greater than my own RG bomb, and unlike mine, Deborah can use that power in any quantity she wants, which she¡¯s abusing right this instance.

    Fireballs after fireballs, Deborah doesn¡¯t stop her barrage of fire as if she wants to see the whole place burn to ashes. The speed enhancement helps, but I can¡¯t keep dodging Deborah¡¯s fireballs like this forever. I need to do something to try and make her snap out of it.

    ¡°So, does this mean you like your meat overcooked? The last time you hid a piece of steak from the cafeteria in our room, I remember the steak was well done.¡±

    Deborah roars. She suddenly stops throwing the fireballs and charges at me instead. She bares her claws and pursues me as I run away from her as far as possible. But despite the enhancement, everytime my feet hesitate I find myself within an inch of my life from Deborah¡¯s claws. Her running speed is no slouch, she manages to keep up despite the enhancement magic in my legs, and she¡¯s only getting faster. She¡¯s adapting her strategy and abilities to deal with me, even when Deborah¡¯s acting solely on her instinct alone.

    Nilrem is right, the more time Deborah gets, the smarter she becomes, and it will only get worse when she does.

    I can¡¯t run away forever, sooner or later, I¡¯ll be within her claw¡¯s reach, and then¡­

    ¡°Come on, Deborah! I know you¡¯re in there somewhere!¡±

    I yell out loud. My voice reaches Deborah, it manages to stop her for a brief moment before the dragon girl resumes her hunt. Deborah focuses her strength onto her feet, and launches herself toward me like an unstoppable bullet. I continue to run away since I have no intention to die without accomplishing anything, and thus, the game of cat and mouse continues.

    ¡°After all your speech about pacifism, is this what you really want, Deborah!?¡±

    Deborah throws a kick, but it only looks like a kick at the first glance, she actually wants to use the claws on her feet to grab a hold of me. But my legs are faster than hers, I dodge the first one, and the second, but by the time I dodge Deborah¡¯s third attempt at my life with a punch, a chill runs down my spine as the sheer air pressure Deborah made from her punch puts a scratch on my face. It¡¯s nothing serious compared to having your body blown to pieces, but I can already tell I nearly get caught by the hands of the Grim Reaper.

    I¡¯m surprised at myself for manage to hold out against Deborah for this long, especially without the use of my drug that helps stimulate my nerves. But now I realize I don¡¯t need that drug, because from the beginning I made that drug to replicate the feelings I¡¯m experiencing.

    The fear of death.

    I can hear my heart having a little dance party inside my chest. I no longer feel the cold of winter around, because the chill I¡¯m experiencing is even colder than that. My vision blurs for a bit as Deborah runs on all four toward my position. Yes, this is it, the fear of death, it pushes me to the utmost of my physical limits, and helps me escape Deborah¡¯s reach.

    But the strength to run away isn¡¯t something I need right now, I want the strength to beat some sense into Deborah, yet regrettably the only thing I can do right now is bark instead of bite.

    ¡°You said you hate fighting, yet why are you trying to kill me? You said you don¡¯t mind cowards, then why are you jumping at the first chance to cause destruction? Was everything you ever said merely meaningless words? Answer me, Deborah!¡±

    Deborah suddenly puts a halt to her pursuit. She¡¯s shaking for some unknown reason. But before I can confirm whether or not my words actually work, Deborah defiantly roars once again to defy my attempt at reaching her heart.

    ¡°So you really want to do this the hard way, huh?¡±

    Seems like I can¡¯t avoid going all out. Flowery words won¡¯t reach her ears, the fiery dragon before me will only back down when faced with the blunt and harsh truth. I am preparing for when Deborah is sane enough to care, but it seems like I am not allowed to hold back this time.

    Take this, Deborah, all of my inner feelings!

    ¡°Listen up well, Deborah! I thought really hard about what you said before all these mess happened.¡±

    Deborah doesn¡¯t stop chasing me, but instead of rushing at me with all her strength, she¡¯s now walking like there is a rope tying her legs. Deborah¡¯s face is visibly angry, she¡¯s grinning her fangs while throwing looks that kill at me from her bloodshot eyes. Yet, she¡¯s still restraining herself. A huge walking paradox, and that¡¯s what she simply is from the start, at her core.

    A pile of walking contradiction.

    ¡°The thought that what you said may be right had crossed my thought once or twice. When I saw you like this, I asked myself if what happened to you was my fault. If I was more understanding, maybe I could had prevented this, and there would be less death and destruction than it should be. But after hearing what Nilrem got to say, while I still understand this was partly my fault¡­

    ¡­everything you said was also pure BULLSHIT!¡±

    I yell out loud to the point I think Nilrem can hear me even without the help of the thought transferring ring. But that¡¯s okay, my thoughts will be laid bare for her to read, and I don¡¯t care, because it¡¯s the truth about what I truly feel.

    ¡°You said you hate being perfect, hate being relied on, hate bearing the responsibility and expectation of Deborah Draconis. But the truth is very simple! You hate yourself, you¡¯re afraid of yourself, afraid of what you truly are, and everything that comes with being a dragon of destruction. You simply couldn¡¯t admit everything to me at point blank like that, so you masked it with a lie you made up yourself, and hoped that I somehow miraculously understood everything you implied. But too bad, I was an egotistic son of a bitch, I failed to comprehend your gibberish, and lashed out on you simply because of my own selfishness.¡±

    I tone my voice down, preparing my breath, because that¡¯s only the beginning.

    ¡°I guess that¡¯s why you are my master, and I¡¯m your familiar, because the two of us are horrible people who only care about ourselves.¡±

    Deborah stops, completely. She still doesn¡¯t show signs of returning to normal, but I know I¡¯m almost there. She just needs a little push from me until I can make her return to her sense.

    ¡°Have you thought about how someone like me who came from another world can understand what you feel? It¡¯s very simple, because I also hate myself. There were times I wished my existence would end just to save the trouble for the world. My circumstance was a tad different than yours, but what it left me was a husk of self-hatred. Yet, someone else gave his life just to give this pitiful familiar more time to live, I guess this is the reason why. And I am grateful for that.¡±

    This is something only I can do. Nilrem is now relying on me. The Demon Realm is relying on me. And I will show them that there is a reason for me to exist in this world.

    ¡°Now listen well, Deborah! As your familiar, I will tell you about what you truly are! Without all your pathetic self-deprecating and hatred!¡±

    And thus, with all the air in my lungs, I yell out loud.

    ¡°Deborah Draconis, you are simply a stupid girl! Whose desire is to enjoy your simple life with your stupid friends at this stupid school in this stupid world! Stop trying to make yourself sounds important! There is a reason for you to exist beyond causing destruction! Without you, who will your friends do stupid things with? Who will I have to bug day by day for amusement? Who else will nag at me for every stupid thing I do despite doing the same things without my knowledge? Only you can do it, Deborah!

    Now, if you still have some smart left in you, snap out of this stupid dragon farce right this instance! This isn¡¯t what you want! This isn¡¯t what anybody even wants! Return to who you once was!¡±

    My chest feels heavy. I really went all out, and now my lungs are working tirelessly to regain the breath I lost. But that doesn¡¯t matter, what really matters is whether or not my little inspiring speech helps bring the girl before me back to normal.

    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    And the answer is¡­I don¡¯t know. I can¡¯t even make sense of what¡¯s happening before me.

    Deborah¡¯s screaming with all her might, almost bordering on a screech. She¡¯s like a dog inflicted with rabies, her feet rapidly shaken, her arms start to mutilate her own body with the sharp claws on her fingers. The girl tears off her arms to the point her inner muscles start to reveal themselves. Her blood endlessly drips out of the wounds she inflicted herself and quickly dyes the snow-filled ground into red, as if she wants to make a lake out of her own blood.

    Yet, what¡¯s even more scary is Deborah eventually stops screaming, or moving and mutilating herself. She just stands there, immobile as if a ghost has taken over her body. Her long scarlet hair covers her face after her little wild outburst, so I can hardly see whether her expression has changed to normal.

    But the clue I desire doesn¡¯t lie in my eyes¡­

    ¡°TA¡­.TA¡­.¡±

    A sound, made by Deborah. She¡¯s trying to say something. Did my efforts finally work?

    ¡°AKUMAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!¡±

    Deborah roars like a lion, her roar makes the ground around me tremble for a moment. Deborah¡¯s brief pause of peace quickly gets shattered by the fire emitted from her body, which starts vaporizing everything around her within ten meters radius. Deborah¡¯s wounds heal themselves from the fire, and the girl resumes her primal stance of an apex predator, with both her hands on the ground like a carnivore of the most dangerous kind: a dragon. But there¡¯s something different.

    ¡°AKUMAAAA! AKUMAAAAAAA! AKUMAAAAAAAAAAAA!¡±

    Instead of typical beastlike gibberish, the only words that come out of her enraged mouth is my current name. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s scarier, the fact that Deborah manages to say something, or that something is only my current name repeated over and over and over again.

    But no more time for me to think, because Deborah is charging at me once again like before, as if my efforts are all for naught.

    ¡°Is all of this really useless?¡±

    I mutter to myself. What went wrong? Was it because my reasoning is wrong? Or because Deborah is truly a lost cause at this point?

    ¡®The spell¡¯s preparation is done. Your negotiation failed, get out of there while you still can.¡¯

    Suddenly, Nilrem decides to break her silence and resumes the communication between us. Considering what she said, seems like the woman already has a firm grasp of the current situation.

    ¡®No, I can still do this! Give me some more time!¡¯

    I have to do this! Because I really don¡¯t like the other alternative Nilrem has left in store for Deborah. It¡¯s not a familiar¡¯s duty to choose death for his master!

    ¡®Stop being stupid! You¡¯ll die if you stay there!¡¯

    ¡®You still need Deborah to stay immobile for you spell to work! If I truly fail, the least I can do is keep her busy for a moment!¡¯

    ¡®Do you even realize what you¡¯re sayi¡­¡¯

    Our little inner conversation gets cut short when Deborah has me in her range. The girl jumps to the air and shoots down a ball of fire toward my location. I quickly move my legs to dodge the impending destruction.

    BOOM!

    Another place gets destroyed by the power of a dragon. But I can¡¯t even have the time to fear or breath when Deborah herself resumes the pursuit the very moment she lands, using the gravity force from her fall as momentum to shoot herself toward me with the hope to finally catch the prey she desires.

    ¡°AKUMAAAAA! AKUMAAAAAAAA!¡±

    As Deborah¡¯s claws almost catch me, once again I escape death and continue to run while planning my next course of action. My legs are faster than hers¡­is what I thought, until Deborah approaches me with the same speed as mine, if not faster. She¡¯s running with speed faster than before, and soon we find ourselves running parallel to each other. That¡¯s enough for Deborah, she already gets me in range, and it¡¯s too late for me to even make a turn to save myself!

    ¡°ARGGHGGHGHHH!¡±

    Deborah throws a punch, which I block with my arms in hope that the sleeves of my tattered but still reinforced cloak will shield me from the impact. The moment her fist makes contact with my arms, I find myself being blown away like a bullet.

    ¡°Ack!¡±

    After flying for twenty meters apart from my location, I land to the ground with my head downward. Luckily the snow absorbs most of the impact, so I¡¯m still alive instead of dying from a broken neck. But I¡¯m far from unscathed.

    ¡°Geez¡­now of all time¡­¡±

    Both of my arms are broken. The bones inside have been destroyed from Deborah¡¯s punch. The reinforced cloak made by Kardia is supposed to block away all kind of blunt force, it even managed to block Origen¡¯s mace and left me relatively unscathed, but Deborah¡¯s punch defied even that. I guess I still have to thank Kardia, because if not for her cloak, it wouldn¡¯t be just my arms that got destroyed.

    ¡°At least¡­I still have my legs.¡±

    As I try to get myself back up, suddenly, I feel a chill down my legs, which quickly becomes a familiar pain that I know too well from the time before this war. I stumble to the ground from the pain. My legs feel like they are burning away as if they are crushed by a thousand warhammers coming down my legs all at once. The magic enhancement casted on my legs has disappeared, and what I¡¯m experiencing is the cost that have to be paid for that brief moment of power.

    ¡°Not¡­like this¡­¡±

    My legs are in pain, but unlike my arms, they are still useable, albeit barely. But for me, that¡¯s good enough. Ain¡¯t no way in hell I¡¯m going to stay here lying helplessly on the ground!

    ¡°Here goes¡­¡±

    Without the luxury of the support from my hands, I get myself up. It¡¯s still painful, but after three times using the same spells on my legs, I¡¯m kinda used to it. Back to the point, I can stand for now, but running away is no longer possible, my damaged legs won¡¯t make it possible¡­

    ¡­and neither will the approaching Deborah.

    Still with her bloodfilled eyes, the dragon slowly walks toward me as if she wants to savor the fear of her prey before feasting. Her prey can no longer run, then why the hurry?

    Yep¡­I guess that¡¯s it for me.

    ¡®Akuma! Run away now! Even if you have to crawl with your tongue, run away immediately! That¡¯s an order!¡¯

    ¡®I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m not that determined enough to make it possible, Headmaster Nilrem¡­¡¯

    Strangely, even in this situation, with my face drenched in the sweat of my fear, I still find myself smiling, as If I have been expecting this from the start. Strange, how could I even expect what I do not know?

    Then again, I already know I¡¯m a strange kid.

    ¡°If you want me, then come and get me!¡±

    My arms are broken, but not my shoulders and biceps. Despite the intense pain, I hold them out straight to the air and put on the most defiant face I can make. This is the least I can do¡­for myself and my own dignity.

    ¡°AKUMAAAAAA!¡±

    Deborah roars, her walk turns into a sprint. She really doesn¡¯t like getting ordered around, doesn¡¯t she? Especially from her familiar. Heh, funny.

    ¡®Akuma! What are you doing!?¡¯

    ¡®I¡¯m taking a gamble. Whether I live or die depends on my luck. But either way, when Deborah approach me, she¡¯ll be immobile long enough. If you still want to go on with your plan, then it¡¯s your time to strike.¡¯

    Deborah¡¯s coming near. It will begin and end in seconds.

    ¡®Akuma!¡¯

    ¡®Though please do me a favor and don¡¯t kill her. At the very least, just knock her out.¡¯

    ¡°Wake up! Deborah!¡±

    I yell the very moment Deborah clenches her fist and throws a punch. This is my last gamble, and I¡¯m betting on the lowest odd with my life as the stake. Whether I live or die, it shall be quickly decided in seconds.

    If Deborah awakes before she strikes me, I win. If not, I lose. It¡¯s as simple as that.

    Sphhhlt!

    ¡­

    I feel a pain in my chest, and when I look down, I find out my chest is no longer there, only an empty hole remains.

    It gets punched through by Deborah¡¯s fist, which destroyed everything inside including my heart.

    ¡°Agh¡±

    A stream of blood bursts through my mouth. Strangely, I feel no pain. Or rather, I feel nothing. I expected death would be more¡­eventful that this.

    But that doesn¡¯t change the face that I made a bet, and I lost.

    And now, time to pay the price¡­

    ¡®Was it worth it¡­I wonder?¡¯

    I quickly find my answer before my vision go dark.

    Deborah¡¯s sclera has turned from red to white, back to normal like they used to be.

    ¡®I guess¡­it was kinda worth it¡­¡¯

    I feel cold as my vision darkens before it goes full pitch black. Guess that¡¯s it¡­

    Still¡­there¡¯s one more thing that I wonder¡­

    ¡®¡­has her red eyes always this beautiful?¡¯

 Chapter 52: The connected heart

    I open my eyes. The ceiling is dark. The air is cold, but the blanket on my body keeps me warm. It''s probably night, since I see no signs of sunlight in this room. The wind is blowing inside because someone left the windows open, but thanks to it, I can see a faint moonlight illuminating the room''s interior.

    This place seems to be the castle''s infirmary¡­the real one, not the makeshift hospital that was burned down to the ground during the siege. I still remember this place, I spent sometimes in here before this whole war started, thanks to the mess I made at the familiar competition.

    My memory is still hazy. I can remember most of the siege, about Origen, about Lapidoth¡­but I can''t seem to recollect whatever happened afterward. Everytime I try to think about it, my head suddenly hurts like someone is slamming a hammer at it.

    And not just my head either, my body seems really sore, it''s like having a truck rammed at my body, but it failed to kill me for good. I can still move my arms, although barely, but that''s still not enough to help push me up from my comfortable bed.

    "Damn it¡­"

    My head really hurts, my body also hurts. I never drink alcohol before, but maybe this is what hangover feels like when I''m old enough to drink. Though it''s rather strange, I don''t remember drinking any drops of beer or wine, I was too busy fending for my life to have that kind of leisure.

    But, the question is: What happened during that time which resulted in this kind of situation?

    No matter how hard I think, no matter how determined I try to get past the pain to search through my foggy mind, I can''t seem to get any useful memory out of my head. Something must had happened, I know it did, there''s no way I can easily forget something like that if it did happen.

    "It hurts."

    I mumble. I touch my temple to ease the pain inside my head. It doesn''t feel like having a simple truck hit you and you''re still alive afterward, it feels more like having a functional battle tank dropped on you from the air and you''re still alive afterward. Okay, that may be a little bit exaggerated, but the feeling is similar to what I just described. While the pain is present, my body seems to be intact with no kind of wounds nor scars present. A phantom pain? Maybe¡­

    Staying in bed forever won''t help me find out what happened. I try getting myself up once again, the pain does not make it easy, but I went through worse to even think about trying to give up. By the time I can sit however, I find out my resolve can be easily broken by the sheer pain I''m experiencing. For once, I think I really need to take it easy.

    But there is a reward for trying so hard despite the pain. The view around the room becomes clearer when I manage to get myself up from the bed. The same plain infirmary tended by no one, the same coldness of the winter air, the same eerie moon hanging on the sky. The familiar setting makes it rather confusing to the point I think all that happened prior the siege was just a dream, and the dreamer has just woken up.

    But her presence at the bed next to mine tells me it was not a dream.

    Deborah¡­Draconis.

    The faint moonlight makes it hard for me to notice her when I was still bedridden, she was on the bed next to me from the start all along. The same long red hair, the same silky skin, what is lacking is her daily nastiness, but that is to be expected from a sleeping beauty. I''m not really privy on her sleeping face, so this is the first time for me, but her look during sleep is so¡­peaceful, as if her dream is devoid of the pain and suffering that made up this world.

    Suddenly, my chest hurts. My heart starts to rapidly beating faster than normal. The sound gets louder and clearer to the point I think I''m listening to my heartbeat through the earpiece of an Mp3 player. And now, my chest feels like it''s burning, like a fire just gets lit inside my heart. My body starts sweating, my vision gets blurry. My head hurts even more.

    But now I understand why, because the memory from that time starts to conveniently flow back inside my head.

    "So that was¡­what happened¡­"

    I grab my chest in a futile attempt to ease the pain as I recall the events of that time.

    Deborah went berserk, and I followed Nilrem to save her from herself. I tried my best, but failed to make Deborah snap out of her mad state.

    And I died¡­by Deborah''s hand. Her punch made a big hole in my chest, destroying my heart and everything around it.

    That was my last memory of that day, which makes my head hurts both figuratively and literally as I try to make sense of the current situation.

    I died. I can still remember the pain during that moment. But I can''t deny the fact that I''m currently alive. I think about pinching myself to see whether or not this is a dream, but the pain across my body is more than enough for me to know it''s not. Let''s say this is a very realistic dream, then what is this place? The afterlife? It looks awfully plain for a place where the dead gather.

    If, just if, this is the afterlife, then does that mean Deborah also died together with me?

    If she did die, then what was the meaning of everything I did?

    Despite my own questions about how I survived being killed, I''m more concern of Deborah''s welfare. If I can''t make sense of things on my own, maybe she can help.

    "Hey, wake up."

    Despite my words, the girl still stays immobile on her bed. Of course, she''s deeply asleep, merely saying won''t be enough to wake her up.

    "Wake up, sleepyhead!"

    I shout out loud, which prompts no reaction from the sleepyhead in question. Usually this is enough to get her up from her bed and makes her start yelling in anger, but this time, she''s still deep in her sleep, without any signs of waking up. Is she playing a prank on me, or is it because of something else¡­?

    I start to get anxious. In a brief moment, the pain inside my body disappears as I rush out of my bed and approach Deborah''s. She looks like she''s sleeping, but from a closer look, there are signs telling me she''s not. For one, there isn''t a body movement to indicate she''s breathing in her sleep, or any other body movements at all. Rather than sleeping, she''s just lying there¡­like an emotionless corpse.

    "No¡­no¡­!"

    Fear rises inside my chest as I touch Deborah''s bare hand. There''s no reaction from her, but I feel some warmth through our hands touching. The lack of reaction even makes me feel more worried.

    And so, I decide to do the unthinkable.

    "Just to be sure¡­"

    That''s only what I tell myself, but it doesn''t change the fact that what I''m going to do is really outrageous. I''m going to check her heartbeat with my hand, but that of course requires my hand to touch her chest¡­

    But this isn''t the time for jokes. I''m being serious here. The fear I have from doing this barely outweighs the fear I''ll gain from not doing it.

    I put my hand to where Deborah''s heart ought to be, just above her chest.

    What I feel from this action¡­is nothing.

    No heartbeat, with complete stillness. Aside from Deborah''s warmth, there is no sign of her life activity. Despite my prior action, she doesn''t get mad and yell at me for being a pervert, she just lies there motionlessly like a corpse.

    Is Deborah¡­dead?

    My heart hurts, my chest feels like it''s burning. My body feels weird. I know it''s normal to feel pain after being wounded so many times, but this pain¡­it''s too abnormal, as if it''s not merely an afterthought from my wounds and has a will of its own to know when to act up. I kneel down from the pain, my chest feels like it''s going to explode!

    "No¡­wait a minute¡­"

    That day¡­my chest did explode, thanks to Deborah''s rage and fist. But then why am I still here? Nobody could had survive a wound like that, no¡­most would had died solely the moment Deborah''s fist went through their chest.

    But I''m still alive¡­

    "It couldn''t be¡­"

    Deborah''s motionless body, my completely unharmed chest, put two and two together and the answer becomes obvious, and terrifying¡­

    While I''m still in shock from the revelation, I hear the sound of the door opening. I turn back to see who''s coming at this kind of time, and to no surprise, it''s Nilrem the Headmaster. She''s always one to show up at the right time and the right place, the answers I seek lie within her head.

    The woman doesn''t say anything when our gaze meets. As I grab my chest in pain, I try to stand up from the ground for the following talk to happen. I feel like everything Nilrem needs to know can already be picked up from visual cues alone, so I think it''s fine to drop the formalities and get to the main point.

    "Why, Nilrem? Why did you trade her life for mine!?"

    ---------------------------

    ¡¸West of Melas castle ¨C before the end of the siege¡¹

    Time seemed to stop when the dragon girl pushed her punch through the chest of her familiar. In a brief second, snow stopped falling, fire stopped burning, people stopped dying. In such a moment, there were only two people in this world.

    The dragon, and her latest victim.

    The blood filled eyes returned to their original color, a sign of sanity after such an insane action. And what did she see after the dragon girl finally regained her mind?

    A familiar whose chest had been destroyed by her hand, and his peaceful face looking at her as if he forgave this very heinous action.

    The girl''s expression changed, her eyes widened, her mouth full of fangs closed, and her fear rose as she screamed at the top of her lungs.

    "ARGHHHHHHHHHH!"

    Not a scream of pain, at least not physically, but it wasn''t hard to imagine why she did so.

    And time seemed to continue again, the young familiar''s body dropped down to the snowy ground, right through Deborah''s arm that was previously the bridge that connected the two of them. Blood gushed through the empty hole in his chest, dying the snow in red. His body was still twitching, but that was merely a body function during the moribund state. No one could survive with an empty hole in his chest, without a heart to fill the void inside.

    A mad monster might feel nothing about this, but what stood before the dying familiar was no longer a mad monster, but a dragon girl whose mind had returned to normal. What did she feel knowing it was her hand that put an end to the one who tried to save her from her own rage and madness?

    The sheer shock paralyzed Deborah from reacting or doing anything, like a living corpse which lost its mind. A perfectly vulnerable target for someone with the intent to kill her to take their chance, someone like Nilrem.

    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.From a far, an object came flying. It shaped like a spear, but when its tip pierced through Deborah''s own heart, it revealed itself to be a wooden magic staff with an enchanted gem at the top. When flying in high speed, even the tip of a wooden staff could still be a deadly. Deborah groaned from the sudden pain, but for the dragon girl, that staff was just the beginning.

    From every direction, magic staves came flying at Deborah like spears fired from ballistas. Soon, the staves pierced all of her vitals point, turning her into a living pincushion. But Deborah still moved, despite the blood flown from her mouth, despite having her heart pierced through, Deborah still lived.

    If this was all Nilrem can do then it was very disappointing for someone known as the Archsage, but of course, all the magic staves were merely a prelude for what to come.

    The sky above darkened as clouds started to gather, and from the cloud, a huge bolt of lightning fell down to strike Deborah. Her whole body brightened from the shock, and Deborah yelled from the sheer pain of having a lightning bolt burning through her very being. But her tragedy had yet to end, for another lightning bolt came crashing, and another, and another after another, all of them precisely struck down Deborah without missing their target as if Deborah was a living lightning attractor, but if one was well versed in magic, they would find out it was the staves that pierced her body that were the real lightning rods.

    After taking barrages after barrages of lightning, all in a brief moment, Deborah was toasted completely from inside to outside, the smell of burnt skin and flesh dominated the air around her. Deborah fell to the ground, though she simply kneeled rather than completely dropped down, all thanks to the staves on her body acting as support. But aside from that, the dragon girl was motionless, almost look like she was finally dead for good.

    And only at this moment did Nilrem choose to make her presence known. With all the strength in her legs, the Headmaster rushed to the side of the young familiar who lay on the snow. The moment she got close to him, Nilrem kneeled down while casting healing magic with the staff on her hand and used the other to check his pulse. His body was still twitching, there was a faint life force inside his pulse, but it was getting weaker, not even the warmth of the green light radiated from Nilrem''s staff could save him, the least it could do was to extend his already waning life for a few seconds at most. It was a surprise for Nilrem to realize even after all that went through, Akuma had not die instantly, despite the huge hole in his chest. Although at this point, not even Nilrem herself could save him, Akuma was already beyond saving.

    ''Was it because of his connection with Deborah?''

    Such thought crossed Nilrem''s mind when she thought about how he could still hang on this long, but it was meaningless, Akuma would die regardless. The longer she continued casting the healing magic, the longer his suffering became.

    "I''m sorry¡­for dragging you into this mess¡­"

    Nilrem closed her eyes in regret as the green light from her staff faded away. But before she even had a chance to grieve for her student, her ears caught sounds of movement, and the Headmaster immediately pointed her staff toward the source of the sound: The moving figure of Deborah, who was dragging herself to Nilrem''s location despite being a living pincushion heavily burnt from lightning. Her burnt face rapidly healed themselves back, with her darkened skin quickly replaced itself with the white skin she had prior, but that was only her face, the rest of her body was still grievously wounded beyond recognition. Deborah being alive was already a wonder by itself, let alone moving toward Nilrem in her heavily wounded state.

    Nilrem''s face was visibly and understandably shocked, the attack earlier was made with most of her remaining soul energy as fuel, she barely had enough left in store to be a threat if Deborah was still in her hostile frenzied state. The lightning bolts messed up Deborah''s hair, which blocked away Deborah''s own eyes and made it hard for Nilrem to analyze whether the Deborah before her was her student...or her foe.

    Deborah raised her right scaled arm. A drop of cold sweat flown down from Nilrem''s forehead. The witch was fully prepared to sacrifice her current vessel, but even then, it would render everything she did today and Akuma''s sacrifice meaningless.

    However, all of those thoughts quickly became irrelevant as Deborah did not strike Nilrem with her dragon arm, but simply removed the staff piercing her heart. As the wooden staff fell down the snowy ground, it left a small hole on Deborah''s chest with red blood naturally flowing out. Just when Nilrem thought things would not get crazier than this, she found herself proven wrong by an action that made it hard to judge whether Deborah had regained her sanity or not.

    With her dragon arms, Deborah broadened the hole on her chest, she tore it off, despite the endless stream of blood gushing out, despite the fleshes she threw out to make a way, despite the girl herself tried to keep her scream from escaping her throat, Deborah still did all that, solely to pave the path leading to her own heart. And despite every logics in the world preventing someone to do the same, Deborah thrust her hand inside the hole she made and ripped her own heart in flesh and blood out of her chest.

    "You¡­!"

    Even Nilrem was afraid. Of course, anyone would be afraid when someone ripped out their own heart with their own hand, and the heart in question was still beating as if it was still inside Deborah''s chest, even with a hole on itself thanks to Nilrem''s wooden magic staff. Even so, Deborah''s heart kept beating, and the bleeding hole on the heart healed itself back to normal and resumed beating like nobody''s business.

    Nilrem had seen her fair share of insanity in her long life, but none of them ever matched the action made before her eyes by Deborah.

    Despite having her heart ripped out with her own hand, Deborah continued to drag herself toward Nilrem with her heart held toward to the front, almost like an offering. Nilrem did not understand what''s going on¡­until Deborah herself spoke for the first time.

    "Please¡­use this¡­and save him¡­"

    Tears dropped down from Deborah''s eyes. Her long hair had conveniently made way for Nilrem to see Deborah''s face. The face of a dragon maddened by bloodlust had been replaced by a scared crying girl, afraid of losing someone she held dear. This was the first time Nilrem ever saw Deborah crying, the girl was too prideful to cry in front of someone, but this time¡­

    "Please! Save him¡­! I don''t¡­want him to die¡­!"

    Deborah yelled as she tearfully offered her heart to Nilrem. The Headmaster herself still had yet to fully grasp Deborah''s action, but she quickly finished the puzzle when she remembered her own studies about dragons as a race.

    A dragon''s heart was the source of a dragon''s life, a focus of their life force. A dragon fed off the soul energies in the world of Airumel to sustain their life and heal their injuries, but ultimately the source of their very being lied in their heart. A dragon would die when their heart was completely destroyed, and Nilrem failed to do that despite the chance given by Akuma''s sacrifice. Ultimately, what Deborah offered was to merge Akuma''s fading life force to her own in an attempt to save him from death.

    It was a very risky action, nor it would be a guaranteed success, if it did work, it would be a miracle, but at this point, the only thing that could save Akuma was nothing short of a miracle.

    Nilrem no longer had any hesitation, she quickly grabbed Deborah''s heart and resumed casting her healing spell to lengthen Akuma''s fading life force. Nilrem gave Deborah''s heart a quick glance, it was a normal heart from a brief total view, but if one looked carefully, they could see a small fire burning inside her heart. An abnormal heart for an abnormal existence, and now, it would be used to save an abnormal familiar using an abnormal method.

    "I''m too old for this madness¡­!"

    Nilrem put the heart toward the place where Akuma''s heart used to reside, she quickly chanted her spell with the support of her magic staff. As the arcane words came out of Nilrem''s mouth, a golden magical thread appeared out of the edge of Akuma''s empty chest and bound the heart offered by Deborah. And soon after, more golden threads came out to join their brethren and together they kept Deborah''s heart in check. When Nilrem let go of her bloodstained hand, Deborah''s heart stayed hover in the air thanks to the magical threads that connected the heart with Akuma''s own life force.

    The emergency heart transfusion seemed to be working, as the empty hole slowly, but surely, started to mend itself with regenerating flesh. Akuma''s life force was still faint like a flicker, but it was no longer fading out of existence. Only time might tell whether this insane method would work.

    Nilrem turned her gaze toward Deborah. The dragon girl was unexpectedly quiet, she had already stopped moving and entered a deep sleep. The wound on her chest had already stopped bleeding and was mending themselves back to normal just like Akuma''s own wound. It was ambiguous if Deborah was still alive after offering her heart for another.

    One witch, and two young people with an empty hole in their chest. When she thought about it, Nilrem found such a sight amusing, but she was too tired to even put on a smile or laugh. After all she went through, the Archmage found herself reaching the limit of her own power, both physically and mentally.

    From afar, a magical flare rose to the air. A yellow flare, signal for ceasefire to negotiate accorded to the international war codes. Judging from the place where it came from, Nilrem guessed it was fired by the humans. A perfect time, with the frenzied dragon out of the sight, the two sides could finally conduct negotiations without any interruption. That was assuming the demons even wanted to negotiate when they could still fight until the humans were all dead. The siege was over, and they were the victors, there was seemingly no reason for them to stop.

    "Jeez¡­working me to the bone¡­"

    But ultimately, as the leader of Melas, the choice lied in Nilrem''s decision, and she responsed by using the last ounce of her soul energy to cast a yellow flare up above the sky. With this, an unspoken truce had been made, no further bloodshed until the two sides had done arguing with each other.

    There were a lot of things that needed to be done, and for a start, how would a lone old and tired woman relocate two dying teenagers in the middle of nowhere back to Melas castle?

    That was probably a story that would never be told.

 Chapter 53: The delayed farewell

    The waves of the sea are performing a quiet symphony at dawn''s peak. As I get off the warg-driven carriage, my eyes catch gaze of the endless sea in front of me. The only sea I saw back in my world was through a TV screen and pictures from magazines, this is the first time I witness a real sea with my own eyes, yet it doesn''t feel like the sea of this world is that much different from ours. Maybe it is because of my own lack of experience about the sea to differentiate the two of them.

    "Make way, please."

    Says Nilrem who is waiting to get off from the carriage because of me standing in her the way.

    I don''t say anything, I just walk out of her way. Nilrem looks sideways to check whether the other carriage that came along with ours has safely arrived, then she looks back to my side before saying something.

    "After all those times and you''re still sulking."

    "¡­"

    I sulk. I find it hard for me to find reasons NOT to sulk.

    "Is it true¡­that there''s nothing else than can be done about me?"

    "As I already said, it''s more complicated than just getting you new organs to replace. Your whole existence is now tied with Deborah''s, both physically and spiritually. You are still alive simply because of the support from Deborah''s heart. The moment her heart is removed from your body, you will instantly die."

    I know it, I know it already. Nilrem explained about it when I woke up two days ago, when the siege had been over for a week. My body was effectively dead the moment Deborah''s punch went through my chest, I was barely alive long enough to be saved thanks to my connection with Deborah as her familiar. Our contract granted me her life force, but it was not enough to save me until Deborah offered her own heart. Nilrem explained my life at that moment was a giant tower supported solely by a single frail stone pillar, the moment that pillar got broken, the whole tower would collapse. What Nilrem did with Deborah''s heart wasn''t building a better foundation, she simply replaced the stone pillar with a golden one, more sturdy, more tough, but still a lone pillar nonetheless. The moment that golden pillar gets removed, the tower that is my life will crumble to the ground and crash to pieces.

    "Still, that applies to Deborah as well. If the heart inside your chest is destroyed, Deborah will die. But well, even without her heart, Deborah will still able to live like normal, and with the removal of her only weak point, Deborah is now effectively immortal and invincible, provide her enemies don''t find out about this little secret."

    As the carriage that comes behind us arrives, Nilrem starts giving out directives to the few soldiers that come along with the carriage. Unlike the carriage we previously used, which is designed to transport passengers, the one behind us is used to carry luggage and other stuff. The few soldiers here are simply Nilrem''s lackeys ordered to do her biddings. Under her order, they bring out a huge coffin-like box out of the carriage and move it to the seashore.

    Nilrem follows behind her men. Seeing that I have no reason to stay after the trouble I spent to get here, I decide to follow the headmaster. Eventually, our group get to the seashore, where another small group of soldiers have been waiting for our arrival. They are guarding a small and ordinary boat lying on the sand near the sea. As the soldiers from our group approach the boat, the men guarding it help them move the coffin-like box onto the boat. Despite the size of the coffin, the boat takes it in stride without any difficulty.

    "Good job soldiers, you are now dismissed."

    The armored soldiers salute Nilrem before getting themselves off the shore, which leaves only Nilrem and I alone in the seemingly endless shore of sand. Nilrem approaches the coffin box and briefly opens the lid. Inside the coffin box lies a peacefully sleeping red haired girl, it''s rather easy to look at her like a young girl who got taken away too soon by Death. This whole charade makes it look like we''re preparing a funeral for the girl inside the coffin, but make no mistake, Deborah Draconis is well and alive. She''s maybe sleeping in a body without a heart, but she''s still alive nonetheless, according to what Nilrem said. But even then, I still have my own doubt.

    "Will she really wake up?"

    I ask as I approach the boat and look at Deborah''s sleeping face. A whole week has passed since that incident, and Deborah still shows no signs of waking up. Just knowing I''m standing here because she offered me her heart already makes it hard to look at her sleeping without end like this. That doesn''t change the fact she killed me from the start to begin with, but that act of hers alone has already made me forgive that particular sin.

    "Eventually. With time, her body will automatically adapt to the loss of her heart and readjust itself to operate as normal. As long as her heart and this world still exists, Deborah will continue to live no matter what."

    Says Nilrem.

    "That doesn''t make sense, none of this makes sense."

    I reply, which only prompts an ironically laugh from the witch herself.

    "Welcome to my world, I stopped making sense of it a long time ago."

    The woman in a girl''s body takes out a leather envelope from inside her robe. She puts it under the sleeping Deborah''s hands for safe keeping. I guess that''s something necessary for Deborah''s new journey.

    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    "Will she be safe in the continent across this sea?"

    The continent of Suntos, a place where the bickering of the Heaven Realm and the Demon Realm is irrelevant, but it''s still a very chaotic continent nonetheless according to what Nilrem said to me. That''s the location where this boat will be heading, for Deborah to stay away from the internal politics that come after her actions that day, and a chance for her to learn how to control the dragon that dwells within her.

    "To tame a beast, you ask the ¡¸Beastmasters¡¹. The friend of mine who will take charge of Deborah''s training is trustworthy, I assure you, though I''m more worried for safety of the people of Suntos rather than Deborah''s."

    I leer at the Headmaster. Seems like she can''t stop seeing Deborah as anything but a dangerous dragon, but after what Deborah showed us from the siege, I know Nilrem has a good reason to see her that way. And just because I stopped her from rampaging once doesn''t mean I can do it again. Deborah has to learn to control herself, or else¡­

    I reach my chest to feel the heartbeat of Deborah''s own heart. The scars have faded away, the hole has been filled, but the pain is still present, albeit faint, as a reminder for what happened when a dragon lost herself to her primal instincts. The only thing I can do right now is hoping that when Deborah returns, people other than me won''t see her as someone to be feared anymore.

    "The boat is on autopilot, it will protect Deborah from harm on the sea until it reaches the destination. You have nothing to worry about. So, shall we start?"

    Says Nilrem. She''s awaiting my response, and my reply is simply a nod. I want Deborah to do this for her own future, but a part of me doesn''t want to see Deborah departing to another continent without knowing when she''ll return.

    ''Heh, I guess I''m a full-fledged familiar at this point¡­''

    "Before that, you won''t going to see Deborah for a while, do you want to say anything to her before she departs for Suntos?"

    Nilrem''s words make it look like Deborah''s going on a one way trip with no return.

    "No, whatever I have to say to her, I''ll say it straight to her face when she returns."

    Deborah may become a different person after this trip, and people may not see her other than a dragon, but to me, Deborah will always be the same stupid girl who loves to do stupid things in my eyes, and when she returns, I''ll let her know by telling it straight to her face. I''ll patiently wait for that day, there''s no need to make a big deal out of this.

    This isn''t a good bye, this isn''t a farewell, so I won''t say goodbye, nor will I bid her farewell. But¡­

    "We''ll meet again, Deborah."

    I can''t help but blurb out that line despite my earlier declaration. Nilrem simply smiles as if she finds the irony funny. But no matter, the time has come for her to end this prolonged departure. Nilrem closes the wooden lid, then puts her hand onto the boat as her mouth chants the magic words. A barrier gets erected around the boat to protect the person it''s carrying, and the boat starts to drag itself off the sand and onto the sea. Eventually it sets sail toward Suntos despite having no sails to speak of. Magic is awesome, I think¡­

    "And there she goes¡­"

    I mumble as I watch Deborah''s boat starting to go further and further to the sea. Suddenly, Nilrem laughs as if there''s something funny on my face.

    "Ahahaha, look at you, so tense and serious. It''s sure is amusing to see you this way."

    "W-What''s so funny!?"

    I yell out loud. I don''t know why, but something about this pissed me off.

    "I actually put my Ring of Thought Transference inside the envelope I gave to Deborah. Since you are still keeping the other one, you''ll be able to contact Deborah through thought transference regardless the distance between the continents. Still, seeing you acting so serious like this makes the trouble hiding it from you certainly worth it."

    I look at the ring I wore in my right index finger, the same ring that enabled telepathy between wearers. So that''s how it is¡­

    "You could have said it sooner!"

    I yell. She sure made a fool out me.

    "If I did, I wouldn''t be able to watch you acting like that."

    The woman is still laughing, until she stops when the joke gets boring. Damn witch¡­

    Still¡­I look at the ring on my right hand. We are apart from each other, but still connected in one way and another. It''s strange to think about it like that, it seems like fate itself doesn''t want us to part way despite everything. Well¡­this is getting a bit awkward¡­

    "Just because I gave you two a pair of rings doesn''t mean the two of you are married, you know?"

    "W-What are you saying!?"

    I find myself flustered like a high school girl in love, then I remind myself I''m a high school boy and it''s my job to get mad at things like this.

    "There''re still vows that needed to be make, you know?"

    "Y-You witch!!! Who actually wants to marry that girl!?"

    I can already foresee a very tedious journey back to Melas with this woman accompany me¡­

 Arc 2 Epilogue

    ¡¸Melas Castle ¨C The night after the siege¡¹

    The siege of Melas was already over, a verdict had been agreed from the negotiation between the human forces and demon forces. The humans would had to retreat away from Melas castle, but in return, they would be granted safe passage from the demon forces, safe retrieval their own dead soldiers and the right to reclaim Origen¡¯s shield, the Evalach. The negotiation seemed a bit uneven for the demons, simply because the human had one advantage over the demons on the negotiation table. Nonetheless, the demons took any chances they got to kick the humans away from Melas. Despite being the victor in the end, the demons of Melas felt like they lost more than what they gained from the victory.

    That was the reason why by the time of nightfall, there were no feast or celebration inside Melas castle, only tired soldiers who luckily managed to survive this ordeal, who were sleeping like dead men, awaiting a whole new busy day after they woke up.

    For a mysterious infiltrator hiding in the shadow, was there a better chance than this moment to sneak inside the castle?

    ¡°Arghh!¡±

    Two demon soldiers dropped dead on the ground after having a throwing dagger went through their neck, right at the unprotected part of their armor. The reason for their swift death was simple: they were standing guard at the Chapel. The unknown infiltrator who cloaked himself in a tattered black shroud didn¡¯t have any personal vendetta against them, the soldiers were just unlucky that they were assigned here the moment the infiltrator arrived.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Two dead corpses lied on the ground, blood flowed out of their neck and soaked the dirtied floor in red. If another guard came by, it would be a pain to escape without a fuss, but the infiltrator didn¡¯t care enough to clean up his mess. His business in the chapel would be quick, and by the time the demons even realized what was going on, he would be long gone by then.

    The infiltrator cloaked in black entered the chapel. The mess inside did not spark anything inside his heart. No matter what kind of battle that happened here, it interested him none. He walked past the corpses and items lying on the ground. Origen, hero to men, villain to demons; a nameless corpse of a nameless soldier, whose name would be remembered by none; and Evalach, a Hundred Regalia, a weapon worth the treasury of a small kingdom. But none of them interested the unknown infiltrator, his sole objective didn¡¯t lie with them, it lied with what was hidden beneath the chapel¡¯s underground, where the barrier protecting Melas castle once was.

    The man descended to the underground, through the tunnel and arrived at his location. The faint light on the walls illuminated the hidden room. In the middle of the round room lied the remains of a broken crystal which used to act as the barrier of Melas castle. With the destruction of the barrier, the magic that sapped away intruders¡¯ life force had been turned off, allowing the mysterious man to enter without any fuss.

    -So it¡¯s here¡­

    The man mumbled to himself. Even in a mess that is this room, there still lied another undiscovered treasure unbeknownst to anyone.

    In the middle of the crystal fragments was a sword. A broadsword. It was sword unlike others, in a bad way. Rather than a fancy sword that screamed extraordinary and superior craftmanship, the broadsword on the ground was rusty from the tip to the handle. Even if someone sold it for free, nobody would even want such a junk in their house. It made one question why there was such a thing inside a place as important as the room used to held Melas¡¯s barrier core.

    But no matter, it was not the infiltrator¡¯s job to doubt, it was his job to act.

    The shrouded man held out his hand, preparing to grab the junk sword and made a run for it¡­

    ¡­until he heard footsteps from outside.

    -!

    Like a rat alerted by the yawning of a cat, the infiltrator swiftly hid in the darkest corner inside the hidden room. The darkness was his friend, as it always was for those whose job is to dwell within the dark. And thus, he waited for what or who was coming to this place at this kind of time.

    The footsteps got louder and louder, and eventually, someone appeared from the entrance. Not a group of soldiers searching for an sudden infiltrator in the night, but a lone man in armor, with bandaged right arm supported by a cast. Judging by his lonesome, the soldier looked like he was sleep walking rather than being alerted by the lying corpses at the chapel¡¯s front door. If he did, the whole castle would be in alert at this moment.

    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    The infiltrator misjudged, he wouldn¡¯t think there would be someone still up right in midnight after a big war like the siege of Melas, but he was more surprised that very person didn¡¯t realize there were two freshly killed corpses that lied literally right at the door.

    ¡®It will be his last mistake.¡¯

    The infiltrator prepared a throwing dagger. The soldier¡¯s death would be swift, and his job would be done after he grabbed what he came for and made a run with it in hand. This was simply a mere coincidence, a crazy soldier who was doing things off pattern and would die a lonely dead inside the secret entrance. It would be quite a mystery for other demon soldiers, but the infiltrator did not care.

    Suddenly, the soldier with the bandaged right arm walked toward the center of the room, where the rusty broadsword was lying. He picked the sword with his intact left arm and examined it through the visor of his helmet. The infiltrator felt a chill down his spine for a brief moment, thinking the soldier was after that sword just like he was ordered to.

    ¡®No matter what, he must be brought down¡¯ ¨C thought the man hiding in the dark.

    He prepared his dagger. In the next second, there would be another man to join the ranks of the dead.

    But suddenly¡­

    -Stop hiding, I know you¡¯re here.

    Said the soldier, despite his intense gaze fixed upon the rusty sword.

    His words only helped fuel the infiltrator¡¯s desire to kill him as swiftly as possible.

    And so, he threw his knife. The knife flew with the speed of a bullet, with strength capable of penetrating iron armors. The moment the knife hit the soldier¡¯s vital, it would be over in an instant.

    But it failed. The knife got caught in midair by the soldier¡¯s bandaged right arm. The cast fell off his arm as he caught the oncoming dagger aiming for his life with his fingers. The infiltrator was surprised a simple soldier could react fast enough to catch his dagger, but that was simply the start.

    -I said¡­stop hiding!

    The soldier¡¯s bandaged right arm suddenly burst on fire, but despite having a literal burning arm, the soldier did not blur out anything to indicate he was hurt by the sudden fire. The bandage warping his arm came off and turned to ashes, revealing an arm tattooed with glowing magical runes colored in red. One might say it was the source of the fire magic he was using.

    Finally, the infiltrator came out of the darkness despite having no sensible reason to, but deep inside, he knew hiding would be useless. The soldier didn¡¯t throw any threats around, but his little show of power was enough to send chill down the infiltrator¡¯s spine. When the infiltrator revealed himself, the soldier made no reaction despite being aware of his presence in the light, even when the infiltrator was now armed with a chain sickle, exotic weapon befitting an assassin in the dark.

    -How come someone like you possess the mystical ¡¸Flame Rune¡¹!?

    The soldier stayed silent, he didn¡¯t even look at the infiltrator shrouded in black cloak nor response to his question. The only thing he did was to throw the rusty sword at his enemy like it was the most natural thing to do. He didn¡¯t even throw it like a knife capable of killing, he threw it like it was a toy to be carelessly tossed around. Despite catching the rusty sword with ease, the infiltrator stood there in confusion, being puzzled by the unexplained action of a mere soldier who appeared out of nowhere.

    -Take it, isn¡¯t it what you came here for?

    Said the soldier, with perfect mastery of the human common tongue, the same language used by the infiltrator, if he was even bothered enough to talk again like earlier.

    -What do you even want?

    Despite having his objective already in his grasp, the infiltrator still remained hostile as he prepared his weapon for a fight. The whole thing was too fishy it made him feel uneasy. The only thing that stopped him from throwing himself at his opponent and slit his throat was because of the Flame Rune embedded on his opponent¡¯s right arm.

    -Deliver a message for me.

    -What message!?

    The infiltrator yelled.

    -Tell your master this: ¡¸I¡¯ll come for you, eventually.¡¹

    The infiltrator¡¯s hands trembled, but at the very least, he knew his opponent had no desire to fight him¡­for the time being. Knowing it was the right time to leave, the infiltrator ran away to the entrance without saying anything, and the soldier named Lapidoth did not do anything to stop him.

    After the unknown man had left, the soldier simply looked to the ceiling above¡­

    ¡­as if asking for a reason why he did that.

 Not a chapter, more like a survey

    Well, we are officially done with Arc 2 of this story. What a ride to bear through, I must say </img>. Now that it''s over, please allow me to ask my readers this: What do you think of this story so far? I''m sure you must have felt something after brazing through 53 chapters full of words, this is anopportunity to say what you normally can''t. How do you feel about it? What do you think it did right? What do you think it did wrong? How would you like it to go on in the future? Please be honest </img>.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    Also, if you love this story, please consider giving it a review, or at the very least, give it your rating. The review on the front page system is back on RRL, and it would help me a lot if one review of yours managed to get there </img>.

    Cheers, your author.

 Chapter 54: The song of departure

    ¡¸West Melas ¨C After ceasefire negotiation¡¹

    From the West of Melas castle, in a part of the withered forest that didn¡¯t either grow legs to walk on their own or burned down by dragon fire lied a hastily built tent. The entrance was covered by a piece of cloth to keep the conversation inside stays inside. There were no visible guards, but not far from there lied two units of troop from two different armies. One were the armored soldiers of the Alliance, but not from Origen¡¯s own army; the other were the red cloak cadets of Sanguin Academy. As an unspoken rule, whenever there was a negotiation, only two negotiators from each side were allowed to conduct the discussion on their side¡¯s behalf. One diplomat, and one bodyguard.

    The troops from each side eagerly waited for the negotiation to end. Depended on the result, they might end up clashing swords in the middle of nowhere like this place, right this moment. But while the hatred from each side was mutual, too many things had happened enough to warrant the need for a break from all these bloodshed. That was the same wish shared by every single soldiers standing in this place, and they all hoped their chosen representatives held the same view.

    ¡°Damn cheeky bastard! Who does he think he is!?¡±

    An angry woman in gray robe rushed out of the meeting tent, followed by a laughing middle-aged man wearing a red cloak.

    ¡°Ahahaha! He certainly pulled a fast one on you! Coming here sure worth the effort!¡±

    ¡°Shut up Aitor! I¡¯m still pissed!¡±

    Despite her protest, the Vice Principal of Sanguin Academy did not halt his laughter.

    ¡°Come on, Nilrem. You¡¯re not acting like a proper Headmaster. You got what you want, the humans will retreat from Melas region by tomorrow. Sure, losing Origen¡¯s shield is a blow to our diplomacy effort, but as I recall you were never fond of the Hundred Regalias to begin with.¡±

    The woman temporary halted her track as Aitor finished his words.

    ¡°I was careless. I never thought they would actually had the gall to burn away the supplies storage and used it as a leverage against us on the negotiation table. I don¡¯t mind losing the shield¡­but I hate the way that brat talked as if he owned the damn place! It makes my blood boil just from remember what happened inside that tent!¡±

    In a fit of anger, Nilrem threw her tantrum by kicking away some snow from the ground. It was hard to see this woman as a Headmaster of a prestigious academy when she was acting up like an immature brat. Aitor seemed to agree and proceeded to touch the woman¡¯s left shoulder to console her from her sulking.

    ¡°Now now, stop being a sore loser. You need to keep your reputation as Melas¡¯s Headmaster. A brief moment is fine, but you still have a role to play, Nilrem. Don¡¯t let my boys see you like this, it will only hurt your image.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t believe I¡¯m getting a pep talk from you of all people, Aitor. But well, I already know you are a capable man, if only the same could apply to your nephew.¡±

    Aitor laughed as Nilrem resumed her walk toward the army waiting for them.

    ¡°Well, Caelan is indeed a troubled child in the Eberstark noble family. He was the only one among the young Eberstarks who failed to join Sanguin Academy. Maybe bearing that name proves too much for him to handle¡­It¡¯s not right for me as an educator to say this, but please give my nephew some slack.¡±

    The woman stayed silent before she found the right words to reply the Eberstark man.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the circumstance of your nephew is the least of my concern. I have more severe problems to deal with. Two of them, in fact¡­¡±

    Nilrem put on an ironic smile as she recalled about how things happened before both side proposed for a truce.

    ¡°We need to hurry, there¡¯re still a lot of things to do before the humans retreat¡±

    Aitor simply nodded as he quietly followed Nilrem back to their escorts.

    As the representatives of the demons finally left the site, the human¡¯s own diplomats decided to show themselves away from the tent. Leading on the front was an aged man in his sixties, with graying hair and a long white beard, but despite the wrinkles on his face, his brown eyes were still shining with the strength of youth, it also showed in his tall and imposing figure underneath a full set of silver-color armor and a sheathed sword by the waist. He was also wearing a fur cape by his shoulder to shield him from the cold of winter. While most of his soldiers were long accustomed to the harsh weather in the lands of Demons, someone his age wouldn¡¯t be able to make it through willpower alone.

    The same however couldn¡¯t be said about the youth following behind the old man¡¯s back. Despite being in his twenties, the young man with blond short hair and emerald eyes behind a pair of glasses had a thick cloak made of fur covering the noble-like clothing underneath, yet even so, the way he grabbed his fur cloak maade it look like he could make use of another thick cloak. He looked neither soldier nor mage, which prompted the question why a non-combatant like him was here to begin with.

    -I don¡¯t understand a thing about what she said¡­but she sure sounded mad.

    The old man in the suit of armor suddenly laughed out loud.

    -Ahahaha! I guess the Archsage herself never expected to be beaten by a mere merchant.

    -It¡¯s nothing special, General Raganhar. I just simply stated the truth. Both sides were exhausted, continue to fight in this state wouldl only bring more unnecessary casualties. The most logical thing to do is for both sides to pull back and stock up supplies before we resume killing each other.

    -But it¡¯s not like we expected the demons to simply obey to our term, weren¡¯t we? If their supply storage didn¡¯t magically catch fire and got burned down to ashes, our talk today wouldn¡¯t go so smoothly. That¡¯s one thing, but I¡¯m more surprised you knew about that information, something that even I haven¡¯t caught wind of until you blabbered it out of nowhere during the talk. Do you care to elaborate to this old man on that matter? Theodoric, leader of the Empyrean Mercenaries?

    Despite the seriousness of the situation, the young man known as Theodoric simply smiled.

    -Come on, General. Do you really expect me to explain everything in the middle of nowhere? If I have to do it, I would prefer to sit by a bonfire with a hot cup of coffee in hand, preferably with a blanket as well.

    -There you go again, always talking about that muddy drink you sell to feed your sellswords.

    The old man with mighty long bear seemed annoyed, he started walking away from the tent while the young merchant followed behind.

    -Still, after all things considered, what should we tell the high command? Is this a victory, or a defeat?

    Asked Raganhar.

    -It¡¯s hard to tell who won and who lost, in my opinion. Other generals will probably think this is a victory, no matter the cost we paid for it. But in the end, I feel like we lost this battle, all I could do was just mitigate the losses from growing too large. It was a surprise we managed to win over the demons on the negotiation table, I actually anticipated the demons would bring out their hidden dragon as deterrent when the issue of the supply storage came up.

    The old general sighed.

    -Whatever gamble you played at, Theodoric, you were lucky it paid off. It¡¯s a godsend the little Hero in your merry band managed to survive an encounter with a dragon in one piece.

    -Now now, how could I expect the demons to actually have a dragon in their disposal? If I knew about her existence, I might be able to come up with a countermeasure before Origen¡¯s invasion started.

    Suddenly, as the young and the old continued their conversation, a knife flew toward the armor-clad general. Unlike what his age implied, Raganhar swiftly drew his sheathed sword to deflect the projectile. The thought of an assassination crossed his mind, after all, was there a more perfect situation when he and the young merchant were in the open far away from their army? But that still left him with a question: who was their target? If it was Theodoric, then the knife earlier wouldn¡¯t be aiming for him¡­unless it was meant to be a mere distraction.

    Which was proven true when two cloaked men rushed out from the nearby wood. In a flash, they threw a barrage of knives hidden inside their tattered cloak toward Raganhar. The man couldn¡¯t deflect all of them, which left him with the decision to push Theodoric away from him as he dodged the oncoming knives. Right at that moment, the two assassins approached Raganhar and attacked him simultaneously with kicks and punches. Despite them not using weapons and him wearing armor, their blunt attacks still made him feel like being hit by a war club. His sword blocked a few, his armor blocked the others, but despite the protection, Raganhar couldn¡¯t find any opening to counterattack, his opponents were too nimble while his own speed was too slow to catch up with them. It was a stalemate that ended in the assailants¡¯ favor.

    -Don¡¯t piss me off!

    Raganhar yelled. He focused his soul energy onto his sword and slammed it downward to the ground, which made it explode into bits from the weight of his strength. His effort earned him some advantage over the two assassins as they were now keeping a distance away from him.

    But it was all for naught, as the one he should be protecting, Theodoric, was now being held with a knife near his throat by the third assassin, who exploited the chaos to approach the defenseless merchant. Unlike the two other assassins, this one was clearly a woman, who didn¡¯t even bother to conceal her identity with a hooded cloak like her comrades aside from a skin tight black face mask that ended just above her nose, leaving bare her white as moonlight skin, her sharp onyx eyes and black as coal long hair tied by a ribbon to form a side ponytail. Beneath her black cloak was a skin tight bodysuit covered by a violet cotton clothing. The most noteworthy detail of her appearance was the tattoo on her bare left arm, which consistd of strange and exotic runes and unknown characters, the same tattoo was shared by the two other assassins accompanied her.

    -Don¡¯t move, General Herman Raganhar.

    However, no matter what she looked like, it didn¡¯t change the fact that this woman was holding Theodoric at knifepoint. Yet despite being threatened with his life, the young man¡¯s expression seemed to be more¡­annoyed, with frowned eyes and biting lips. That didn¡¯t leave unnoticed by Raganhar however.

    -Your acquaintances, Theodoric?

    Asked the old general.

    -I really want to deny that¡­but yes, they are¡­

    The blonde young man sigheds as he tried to push away the knife near his throat with the tip of his finger, only for the woman assassin to put it back closer to his throat.

    -If you say so.

    Said Raganhar as he nonchalantly sheathed his sword, which also made the two other assassins cancel their fighting stance and dispeled the hostility they brought up from the start.

    -Seems like I¡¯m probably going to be busy for a while¡­I¡¯ll catch up to you later to deal with the mess after the truce.

    -Well, I¡¯ll see you afterward then. Try not to get yourself killed.

    The old general turned his back and walked away, while the young merchant stayed behind to deal with his own mess. The way they talked made it look like one of them wasn¡¯t having their life threatened by dangerous assassins when their conversation happened. But now, with the general¡¯s gone, Theodoric was left alone to deal with the three assassins under his employment.

    -According to what I remember, the last job I gave you doesn¡¯t involve putting a knife by my neck. What¡¯s your explanation for this, Lusine Isra of Lunae?

    The woman assassin stayed silent before pushing the knife closer to her client¡¯s throat.

    -You asked us to dispose of Melas castle¡¯s supply storage. We accepted the mission, we headed out and sneaked inside the castle, readied to fulfill what was asked of us. And what do you think we found there?

    Lusine gave a pause in her voice, as if wanting to see a reaction from the client who gave her the job, but he showed her nothing, not even a breaking sweat.

    -Non-combatants! Doctors, nurses and the wounded! I don¡¯t care about the demons, but you know how I operate! I don¡¯t involve others aside from my target! I have enough of soiling my hands doing dirty works for stuck up nobles, that¡¯s why I went rouge from the first place. But you¡­

    The woman assassin pushed the knife further to Theodoric¡¯s throat, enough to make a slight wound and bled him out. Even so, the merchant did not bat an eyebrow, and his ears were still focusing on the words of his assailant.

    -You already knew how I do things, but you dared to give me this mission in spite of that! What¡¯s your explanation, Theodoric!? Depends on your answer I may end up slitting your throat without needing a price!

    Theodoric sighed in the face of the assassin¡¯s death threat.

    -I didn¡¯t know about it, really. I expected the demons to hold up their wounded at some place like the infirmary or a hospital. For them to pick the storage to tend the wounded was really unexpected.

    -Liar! Someone like you could absolutely predict something like that! Do you take us for fools!?

    Lusine¡¯s followers yelled out loud, while their master still patiently waited for a proper answer from her employer, with her knife still sit by his throat.

    -Come on. I am no God. I¡¯m just a normal human being who is too weak to fight. And you know, humans make mistakes. Also, I can say the same about you, Lusine.

    Suddenly, Theodoric grabbed his employee¡¯s knife with his bare left hand and pushed it out of the way without letting it go, despite the red blood flowing out of his hand from grabbing on the knife¡¯s edge. Theodoric intensively stared at Lusine in the eyes, reversing the role of the threat maker and the threatened.

    -The mission I gave you was to destroy Melas¡¯s supply storage, it didn¡¯t involve killing the noncombatants inhabiting the place. But you fell them all, despite your claim of only killing your target.

    -It was necessary to complete the mission.

    Lusine replied with her eyes fixed upon the man in front of her.

    -Exactly! Thanks to what you did, the Alliance gained an edge over the demons on today¡¯s negotiation. History only remembered the heroic tales of chosen heroes, it didn¡¯t tell how some of them could only be achieved by underhanded methods from people like us.

    Theodoric got himself closer to the female assassin. The difference of their height wasn¡¯t very apparent, as Theodoric has the average height of a human male in this world, while Lusine was a bit taller than the average height of a human female. They stood shoulder to shoulder, but Theodoric approached her in a way that made it look like he was resting his head on her shoulder. Lusine didn¡¯t react, as she was the one with the knife. Finally, Theodoric opened his mouth, speaking like a whisper to her ears.

    -You and I have different goals, and to complete those goals, we have missions to fulfill. However, we are but feeble humans in a world that is cruel to the weak and powerless. It¡¯s impossible for people like us to achieve things with a clean hand and a clear conscience. You did what you had to in order to fulfill your task, and I did the same by backstabbing Origen¡¯s original plan with this mission I gave you. You of all people should understand why there are things that can only be accomplished by dirtying your hand and breaking your oath.

    Suddenly, Lusine pulled back her knife, and slammed her fist right down Theodoric¡¯s stomach. The punch wasn¡¯t strong, but it did knock him away from the woman assassin. The merchant groaned from the pain in his stomach as he found himself covered in dirt and snow.

    -The hands that were dirtied doing your mission are ours, not yours. The next time you pull something like this again, consider my debt to your Master done, and try doing your damn dirty job yourself.

    Said Lusine, which was quickly followed by her fellow comrades.

    -We are not your tools, merchant. Push us too far, and we may find ourselves taking the cheapest contract for your head.

    The two hooded men looked at the young woman for guidance.

    -Leave him be, we¡¯ll come to collect our reward later.

    -Affirmative.

    Lusine quickly dashed into the withered forest nearby, followed by her two underlings, leaving Theodoric to continue lying on the cold and snowy ground. It only until two minutes later did the young merchant decided to drag himself off the ground, all while caressing his stomach.

    -Damn, it hurts¡­but I guess I kinda deserved that¡­

    The young merchant simply smiled as he stood up and continued his mission.

    ---------------------

    ¡¸West Melas ¨C The next night¡¹

    One might say night time was the same for everywhere in the world, but for the humans partaking in the war on the demons soil, the night was something dreadful, a thing to be feared, as it should be, since from the dawn of time, the world was engulfed in the eternal darkness of the night, where ancient demons lied waiting for preys to devour. It was common knowledge that demons became stronger during nightfall, as the soul energy from the land got amplified during the night. Whenever the demon army conducted a raid, it always happened at night.

    Even so, the human army still decided to take a risk and prepared a funeral rite in the dark of the night not too far from Melas castle. They only did this because the humans believed the demons would hold their end of the truce, and only continued to do so thanks to the demons¡¯ cooperation in letting them retrieve their fallen comrades in peace. But in the event where the demons decided to break the truce and conducted a raid on this site, the casualties would be numerous. Which, ironically, was another reason why the funeral rite needed to be finish as quick as possible, right in the middle of the enemy territory, because the humans¡¯ high command wanted to get the ceremony over with in order to resume building the defense at the lands they captured during their charge through the Dark Line.

    Illuminating the darkness of the night were the makeshift standing torches to make it easier for the human soldiers to do their job. Despite being called an army, their total number were about two thousand at most, since this particular detachment was sent to venture deep inside the Dark Line in order to support Origen¡¯s own force. But by the time they arrived and rendezvoused with Origen¡¯s men, the battle was practically over, and Origen¡¯s own surviving men could be counted with two hands. By the time near the truce, there were still a good hundred men left alive, but unlucky for them, they gave up fighting in the presence of the demons, who promptly dispatched the despaired men because they were not in a condition to take prisoners. Which left only a few who didn¡¯t either die during the fighting, or burnt to ashes by dragon fire.

    It was hard to decide whether this was a victory or a loss, and that was one reason why a certain young merchant got sent away from the frontline only to quickly return to this site on the back of a dark horse by nightfall, accompanied by a few of his mercenaries.

    -I hope we are not too late.

    Said Theodoric as he commanded his horse to slow down and entered the funeral site after passing through the guards. Together with his horsemen, the merchant entered the funeral ground next by the withered forest. Snow had already stopped falling, making it easier for the men to conduct something like this in the middle of Winter night. Even so, Theodoric still found himself wrapping his arms inside his fur coat to shield his body from the cold. All he wanted was to find the nearest bonfire and sit there until dawn, but the young merchant still had a job to do.

    -All of you, find our comrades and get some rest. I¡¯ll catch up to you later.

    -Understood, boss. See you later.

    Said the sellswords under the employment of Theodoric. After they splitted out, Theodoric continued riding alone and passed through the pyres packed with bodies of the men died in battle. A funeral rite according to human custom was very simple: Make a pyre, clean the body, dress them with their most precious clothing, and when all is done, set the pyre on fire. But from a quick look around, Theodoric realized none of the corpses were washed clean before being put on the pyres. They still wore the same blood-soaked armor, either from their own or from their enemy. None of them got the respect they deserved, and Theodoric understood why. For one, the people here were pressed for time, and another, it was simply because they were not soldiers from Origen¡¯s army, and thus, most of them probably didn¡¯t have the respect for the men who dragged them into another bloody war, from their point of view.

    The only exception was the biggest pyre in the center of the site, the place where Origen¡¯s body lied resting after being washed clean. He was wearing his old armor, not the one he had as a Paladin. He was also being covered by a white sheet on top to hide the damage caused by the one who defeated him. On the feet of his pyre were several smaller ones, which hosted the bodies of other common soldiers, probably Origen¡¯s closest men according to Theodoric¡¯s guess. Not many were tending the pyre of the fallen general, aside from four soldiers in armor, and an old general with a long white beard and a flask on his hand.

    -I have returned, General Raganhar.

    -Took you long enough.

    As the young merchant dismounted himself, the old general took another shot from the metal flask in his hand. When Theodoric stood near Raganhar, he realized the old general¡¯s face was redder than normal, thanks to whatever he stored in his metal flask.

    -So, how was it? Not every day a common mercenary leader got summoned by the High Command for a scolding.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    -They simply asked me why I helped Origen in rebelling against the Alliance army, I asked them why helping to break the demons¡¯ defensive formation they couldn¡¯t accomplish for ten years straight was considered ¡°rebellious¡±. They fell silent afterward.

    The old general burst out a laugh.

    -Ahahaha! Surely they put on a better fight than that!

    -Of course, they still accused me of disobeying orders and threatened to disband our group. I showed them the rules of contracting mercenary bands, which included information about how the contractor are responsible for the actions the employed mercenary band take, and only the Mercenary Guild has the right to disband a company. From an objective point of view, my Empyrean Mercenary did nothing wrong. We helped Origen make a breakthrough, and gave the Alliance an advantage over the demons. The only thing we did wrong was disobeying orders, but that was because we were following the orders of our contractor, Origen, and thus, it was him who has to face that charge, not us. If they are still hell-bent on trying to disband us on their own accord, they will face the wrath of the Mercenary Guild, and that won¡¯t be good thing, considering the upcoming war we brought upon them.

    -I get it I get it! You accounted for everything! Now stop talking, you¡¯re making my head hurts!

    The young merchant silently laughed.

    -Haha, sorry.

    Theodoric fell silent for a while until he found the next perfect moment to resume their chatter.

    -In the end, all the high command wanted was to find someone to blame for that day. They cared not for the victory, they cared not for the men who died achieving it, all they wanted was to uphold the status quo from ten years ago. In the end, people like them will put Origen¡¯s sacrifice to the shadow of history, and it makes me question whether putting his own life on the line is worth it.

    -We both know Origen didn¡¯t do it for those old farts, but for the good of mankind as a whole. You should know Origen well enough to realize that. If you didn¡¯t, you wouldn¡¯t put your own company at risk to help that mad man fulfill his suicidal ambition.

    Theodoric stared at the the unsung martyr¡¯s corpse, one who died by an unknown attacker, one who would be remembered as a treacherous rebel, one whose sacrifice wouldn¡¯t be remembered, all for something like ¡°mankind¡±.

    -Mankind, heh?

    The young merchant mumbled.

    -Mankind¡¯s finest died together with Origen. Now, we are left with drunk cowards¡­and sober cowards! Hic!

    Herman Raganhar took another sip at his flask. The smell of wine started to dominate the air around him.

    -You want some?

    The old general pointed his flask of wine toward the young merchant, which he promptly refused.

    -I¡¯m sorry. It might be strange to say this, but I don¡¯t drink wine.

    -Nonsense! What kind of man doesn¡¯t drink wine!?

    -The sober kind.

    The two men, both old and young, suddenly burst out a laugh. Their chatter attracted the attention of the few soldiers tending around the pyre, but considering one of them was a general, they dared not to disrupt the charade.

    -Well, maybe one day you¡¯ll understand the joy of getting drunk.

    Raganhar took another sip from the flask.

    -That being said, I didn¡¯t know you are a fan of wine, General Raganhar.

    -I was always a drunk when off duty. I still have an image of a general to maintain, but when I have some free time, the first thing I always did is to get the nearest wine and drink it. And time to time, I asked Origen to join in for a few cups.

    The old general gave his flask a longing look as he continued.

    -He used to love this stuff, Metallum-brewed wine, made from the finest grapes grown by our hard working farmers. Paladins aren¡¯t allowed to get drunk, he said, that¡¯s why we only drank in secret. Come to think of it, I guess that was when I found out he had some rebellious tendency in him. Heh, so much for being a proper Paladin.

    Slowly, Raganhar approached Origen¡¯s pyre and put his flask of wine onto the black man¡¯s body. A parting gift from a friend to a friend.

    -May there be fine wine awaiting you in the afterworld of Ardahat, old friend.

    The old man stayed silent to offer a tribute of good will toward the fallen paladin¡¯s coprse. Theodoric did the same, thinking it was not courteous to open his mouth in such a sacred moment. Only until after several minutes later did their conversation resume with Raganhar¡¯s turn to talk.

    -Alright, enough sentimentality.

    Raganhar turned away from the pyre, and suddenly, he approached Theodoric and grabbed the merchant by the collar.

    -About time you spill out what you and Origen planned to cause this whole mess. And don¡¯t you dare making excuses! I want answers now!

    The sudden yelling attracted the attention of the few soldiers standing around, but just like before, since it was a handiwork of a general, the rank-and-file grunts dared not to interfere. But it didn¡¯t seem like there was a need for interference to begin with, as Theodoric calmly laid down Raganhar¡¯s grip away from his collar, accompanied by a brief answer.

    -Alright.

    The young man walked away from the general, simply because he was searching for a place to warm his hands, and found such a place in a nearby standing torch. As he rubbed his hands to feel the heat near the fire, Theodoric started telling Raganhar his story, or rather, his and Origen¡¯s story.

    -It began two months ago. Back then, my mercenary band had accustomed ourselves to the life of fighting in demon soil. As you know, mercenary bands take jobs from generals like you, but they are not strictly bound by military rules, making them unofficial combatants, allowing the generals to abuse them as expendable meat shields. That is to be expected, I guess. Back to the point, my band usually accept jobs from you and Origen, because you guys seem to be the only ones who know what you¡¯re doing in this mess of a war. I think Origen thought the same, maybe he thought we were qualified enough to help him in whatever he was plotting, or simply because we were the ones mad enough to went through with it. And he was right, we were that mad and crazy to follow him to his doom.

    A faint smile appeared on Theodoric¡¯s lips, hidden away by him turning his back to Raganhar.

    -Anyway, about two months ago, I received a message from Origen, about him seeking my help. I had my doubt at first, but eventually I decided to trust him, and went to meet him in his tent. When I arrived, he showered me with a bunch of letters containing information about the opposite demon army. Locations of their camps behind the Dark line, their routes for transferring supplies and manpower, hidden camps, secret routes, some even included detailed information on the size of their regiments, their equipment and operating procedure in various situations. They were things scouts and spies would die for in order to acquire, and he casually shoved it to a mere mercenary company leader like me.

    -That¡¯s absurd¡­how could Origen acquire those information without anyone knowing?

    Raganhar looked stunned from the sudden revelation, all while Theodoric calmly continued to explain.

    -He didn¡¯t. Those information came to him on their own, according to the man¡¯s words. From time to time, Origen found mysterious envelopes appeared in his tent, with them containing information about the demon army. Origen tried to investigate this matter, but it yielded him no result. He didn¡¯t want to believe the men under him did this, as it implied they have ties with the demons to uncover such things, but Origen wasn¡¯t paranoid enough to pursue that lead. He decided to focus on the most urgent matter: the most recent envelope sent to him, and also the reason why he asked for my help.

    -What was it about?

    Theodoric put out a sigh.

    -Information about the demons building a supply chain leading from Melas to the Dark Line...in preparation for a counter offensive against us.

    -That is¡­absurd!

    -Yeah, that was my thought back then, but Origen seemed to genuine believe it was true, and so, he asked me for my advice on that subject. His first proposal was to reveal this information to the high command, but I shot it down. I told him I didn¡¯t believe the high command would take this information seriously. At best, they would dismiss it as a joke, at worst, they would question Origen about the source of the information, which wouldn¡¯t end well for him. But there weren¡¯t many choices for him to do despite knowing of an inevitable attack from the demons. So, I helped him, I told him I would send my men to confirm the truth, with a fee, of course.

    Raganhar tried his best to forget the last words said by the merchant in front of him.

    -So, how did it go?

    -¡­It was the truth. Using the information on the secret routes leading through the Dark Line, a few of my men managed to discover the demon army constructing supply depots in secret for their future offensive. Despite the success of the mission, it wasn¡¯t a pleasant news to hear as it confirmed a direct future threat from the demons. I and Origen were at a loss, unable to decide what to do¡­until a month later, when another envelope arrived. This time, it came with a map, the map of Melas castle, and information about the existence of the barrier that defended the castle against powerful summoned creatures. This was the turning point for Origen, and the very moment he decided to plan an attack on Melas castle, hoping to break the stalemate in this war before the demons¡¯ ambition bore fruit. I tried to stop him, but in the end, I found myself being convinced by him to partake in this madness.

    -If I remember it right, by that time everyone were busy preparing for the upcoming joint cooperation, including me¡­

    Theodoric suddenly smiled from hearing Raganhar¡¯s reply.

    -For once, that useless charade managed to be of use to us. It attracted all the attention away from Origen, giving him some freedom to prepare his plan. The two of us devised an invasion plan at first, it all went smoothly in theory, until a specific problem came up: the location of Melas¡¯s barrier core. At that point, we received another envelope. Rather than information, this letter was more of an invitation, it told us the info on Melas¡¯s barrier core lied in a classroom in the Magic Art Department. I was skeptical about this whole penpal thing, but I failed to stop Origen from going through with it, though I doubt at that point there were anyone that could stop him. I guess in Origen¡¯s viewpoint, where those info came from didn¡¯t matter, what mattered was how to put it to good use. And so, we prepared our plan. Origen was in charge of recruiting men to our cause, while I tasked myself with scouting ahead and handling other details. Origen managed to rack up five thousand men, more than half of it came from his own army. His charisma was something out of this world, but to me, five thousand men weren¡¯t enough for something like this, we needed more if we wanted a better chance of success. This mission was suicidal in nature, five thousand were the most Origen could recruit. He could ask for help from other mercenary bands, but while he was a man full of honor, Origen wasn¡¯t a man full of money. He had already emptied his pocket employing us, and for a suicide mission like this, your common mercenaries wouldl demand more than the price I offered Origen for our help. And thus, with just us, we went on to perform Origen¡¯s ¡°treason¡± against mankind.

    Theodoric adjusted his plain glasses and turned back to face Raganhar after feeling enough warmth from the standing torch.

    -The rest was what you already know so far¡­wait¡­are you crying¡­?

    The merchant had already asked himself what would the general¡¯s reaction be when he told him about Origen¡¯s sacrifice, but Theodoric never expected Ragahan to actually cry out loud. Theodoric guess being drunk was part of that reason for the tears flowing out of his eyes, but crying like that didn¡¯t make him look weak, not even a bit.

    -Damn it, Origen! Why didn¡¯t you ask me for help!? Am I not your friend!? I would gladly give you a hand if you said the word! Yet, you went on and killed yourself, and for what!?

    The man covered his eyes, trying to stop his tears from flowing out, but considerably failed thanks to the iron gauntlets he¡¯s wearing.

    -It¡¯s just my own opinion, but I think¡­Origen didn¡¯t ask for your help precisely because you are his friend, General Raganhar. It¡¯s not like this war will magically end after Origen¡¯s victory and death. If anything, it¡¯s only the start, and mankind needs someone Origen can rely on before he went off on this suicide mission. You are here to take on Origen¡¯s torch, to fight for mankind on his behalf. If you are his friend, then you will understand.

    Raganhar didn¡¯t reply, he was still busy crying his heart out. Theodoric didn¡¯t believe crying is a sign of weakness, rather, it¡¯s a sign to show how strong one are, to cry when needed, and to be brave when courage is demanded from them. Raganhar has both, that was why he¡¯s a general, and why he was a friend of the Black Paladin.

    A soldier from the few survivors of Origen¡¯s army approached the crying Raganhar. Unlike other soldiers, the only metallic armor he has were his common iron helmet and a pair of worn-down gauntlets. He also has a brown scarf by his neck as a neckwarmer. Aside from those features, he looked just like your common everyday soldier among the Alliance¡¯s army. He has a burning torch on his hand, and when he got near Raganhar, the helmeted soldier handed it over to the old man with mighty beard.

    Raganhar didn¡¯t say anything, and neither did the young soldier. The old general took the torch off the young soldier and slowly walked toward the stacked pyre, where Origen and his men¡¯s corpse awaited. Without further waiting, the old man threw the torch to the pyre and set it on fire. Soon, fire spread across the woods and quickly covered the dead in its embrace.

    -Farewell.

    Said Theodoric as he returned to his horse nearby and slowly rode out of the site. Origen¡¯s departure should be tended by his friend and men fighting for his cause, not by a greedy mercenary leader like him.

    As he rode along the way, funeral pyres from everywhere in the site had been rapidly lit on fire. Seemed like the funeral rite had finally started, and he was late for his own men¡¯s rite.

    -Hope I¡¯m not too late!

    He commanded his black horse to ride faster and desperately searched for his men in the night. Luckily, he quickly found their location as their pyres were the only ones that hadn¡¯t been lit yet.

    -Sorry guys, I¡¯m late! Business took longer than expected! But I¡¯m finally here, Fino, Elisha, Anna, Egil.

    Letting the mercenaries under his employ handle the horse, Theodoric dismounted and greeted the close confidants who were rushing to greet him back. The first to approach him was the young Hero with brown hair and blue eyes called Fino, followed by a cat girl with short black hair and a white nun¡¯s garb.

    -I thought you couldn¡¯t make it, Theo!

    Said Fino as his greeting to his boss, while the cat girl following behind was more concerned at Theodoric¡¯s bandaged left hand.

    -Your left hand! When did you get hurt!? Here, let me heal you!

    Despite the eagerness to help ease his pain, as he got his feet on the ground, Theodoric stopped the cat girl by a simple act of headpatting the short girl on her head.

    -Don¡¯t worry, I just accidentally cut myself. It¡¯s only a scratch. Save your magic for something else Elisha, it will heal with time.

    The cat girl seemed annoyed, but the feeling of having her head rubbed made her unable to make a comeback, especially when combined with a gentle smile on Theodoric¡¯s face, or as she always call with a more endearing and personal name, Theo.

    -And there she goes again.

    Said the young Hero. Before he managed to say something else, the other members of Theo¡¯s mercenary band interjected into their conversation, a macho elf with huge muscles, and a witch with green hair tied to a ponytail.

    -What did a pansy like you do to get yourself cut like that? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve been eating some kind of delicious fruit behind our back!?

    -Well¡­some fruits are indeed very hard to peel, Egil.

    The huge Elf dragged Theo by the neck and started grinding his fist onto his head, which helped messing his blonde hair into a crow¡¯s nest.

    -How dare you enjoyed feasting on good food by yourself!? If you have something good to eat, the first thing you should do is to share it with your blood brothers!

    -Ouch ouch! I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m sorry!

    Despite having his head grinded to a mess, Theo was smiling, together with his three comrades. But the fun quickly stopped when the witch with forest-green hair touched Egil¡¯s muscular arm to remind him of what needed to be done.

    -Come on now. Everyone is waiting. After we¡¯re done, we can go back to tease Theo later.

    -Oh right, I forgot! Anna¡¯s right, you need to hurry, Theo!

    With Fino¡¯s urging, Egil released Theo away. The merchant simply nodded, and together with his friends, he approached the funeral pyres specially prepared for his mercenary band, the Empyrean. The pyres were prepared to house twenty corpses the mercenaries managed to retrieve. There were probably more out there who couldn¡¯t be retrieved because of different circumstances. It was shame, but Theo understood there¡¯s a limit for the time they could spare.

    -I¡¯m back, guys.

    Theo remembered the faces of those lying on the pyres. The same eager faces when Theo told them they were going to partake in a suicide mission had been replaced with an eternal sleeping face, never changing, never moving, again and forever. One of them in particularly volunteered to join in Origen¡¯s vanguard, Gust the swordsman. The last time he saw him, the young man who loved horses said to him ¡°Everything will be okay, because I¡¯m going with them.¡±. Now, Theo wished he could hear those cocky voices again.

    -Oka and Alan aren¡¯t here?

    Asked the merchant as he looked around searching for his missing friends.

    -Their wounds made them unable to move. What a shame, I wish I could help them if my magic was stronger¡­

    The cat girl Elisha replied, her face saddened from the absent of her friends, but she was quickly consoled by another head pat from Theo.

    -You did nothing wrong. I¡¯m just glad they didn¡¯t join our fallen friends on the pyre.

    -Here, it¡¯s for you, Theo.

    Fino approached the merchant with a torch in his hand. Theo understood the meaning, but he refused taking on this duty.

    -I was the one who sent them to their death, you were the one who faced death together with them. I don¡¯t deserve this honor.

    -You are still their commander, Theo. Please, do it for them.

    Even so, the merchant refused. With a painful smile on his lips, Theo replied.

    -They will be more honored to be sent by a Hero like you, rather than a nobody like me.

    -You aren¡¯t nobody. You are my friend.

    Theo touched Fino by his shoulder, rather than grabbing the torch to do the deed instead.

    -And you are the same to me, which is why I want to request this of you¡­please, do this for me¡­

    Fino still wanted to convince his friend, but the longing look from everyone waiting for someone to do the deed had stopped him from trying to make a comeback. Reluctantly, Fino nodded to accept Theo¡¯s request.

    -Fine, I¡¯ll do it.

    -Thanks, Fino.

    Theo got his hand off Fino¡¯s shoulder and returned to the side of his friends waiting for the funeral rite to finish. Back to Fino, with a burning torch on his hand, the young Hero approached the pyre and watched the fallen mercenaries¡¯ faces for the last time before throwing it to the pyre.

    -Goodbye, my brothers.

    A drop of tear flown out of Fino¡¯s eyes, but he quickly wiped it to stop more from flowing out. Everyone else stayed silent, and simply stood there to watch the pyres burning away together with their dead comrades. It¡¯s always ironic, consider how the day of one¡¯s birth was the loudest day of their life, while their funeral would be their most silent moment. The site of the burning corpses filled the mercenaries with many question, but the most common one inside their head was probably ¡°When will my turn arrive?¡±

    -Hey, Theo?

    In the midst of the silence, the witch Anna said something to the merchant. As he turned his face toward the witch girl, Anna continued.

    -I have been waiting for a perfect chance to ask this¡­but¡­why did you accept to let the Empyrean join Origen¡¯s assault on Melas?

    The way Anna asked right at this moment put her question in another meaning, it was like an indirect way of asking ¡°For what cause these people died for?¡±. It was hard for Theo to think of an answer that didn¡¯t offend someone in anyway. Anna has been a long time comrade of his, which maade it hard for him to lie to her. But to tell the truth in the most blunt way was too cruel even for someone like him.

    Either way, Theo¡¯s used to make tough choices no one willing to make, and this moment wasn¡¯t an exception.

    -Money is one reason. We need more missions to earn more money to support ourselves. I¡¯m not running a charity here, and people can¡¯t fight with a sword alone. For mercenaries to have money, there needs to be a war. So I started one together with Origen, because mercenaries need war like fishes need water.

    -I see¡­then what¡¯s the other reason?

    Theo sighed. The hard part was over, the last part would be easier, but it was more embarrassing to say it like this. Theo betted everybody was listening to their conversation right now, all the more reason why he should choose his words carefully.

    When he finally gathered enough courage, Theo replied.

    -Because I believe helping Origen was the right thing to do. I started a war with the intention to end it once and for all. I want to accomplish what these useless generals failed to do in half the time it took them to get comfortable shitting in this shithole. I want to crush the demons until none of them dare to defy us anymore, I want my Hero to slay the Demon King, I want our flag to appear in every building at the demon capital of Irkalia, I want to end this war with us as the victors, and I want to end it with all of you by my side!

    Theo started to raise his volume until the end, which was basically him shouting out loud for everyone to hear. The secret attention to their conversation by everyone else had been quickly made obvious, and now, all of the mercenaries¡¯ focus lied in Theo and what he had to say.

    -When a mercenary band was formed, a creed would be make to define that band¡¯s way of fighting and living. Ours is very simple: [Our fire never fades]. Because that¡¯s what we are, the fire that burns everything dare to challenge us! Today, our comrades didn¡¯t die, they simply join with our fire in order to see this war burns down to ashes! Burn the demons! Burn the incompetent generals! Burn the Demon King! We won¡¯t embark our names onto history, we will burn history, and rewrite it with us and our victory as the only thing that matters from here and forever! Because our fire never fades, and because we are the Empyrean Mercenaries!

    -Our fire never fades!

    Yelled the Hero named Fino, and quickly followed by the battle cry of the mercenaries belonged to Theo¡¯s band. The charade turned the depressing mood into something better, a result Theo accepted. It made all the embarrassment he felt from his bravado a cheap price to pay.

    -I don¡¯t understand a thing from what he just said, but it¡¯s sure is exciting!

    Said a random mercenary, which stated the simple truth that Theo was totally aware of, but as long as his men¡¯s morale was high, anything was fine.

    The noises made by the spirited mercenaries quickly died down as the cat girl Elisha approached the mercenary leader with a fake cough, a gesture polite enough to shut the cheering of the loud and wild mercenaries under Theo¡¯s employment.

    -I know improving morale is good and all, but this is still a funeral, for Lielos¡¯s sake!

    -Yeah¡­sorry¡­

    Theo couldn¡¯t help but apologize for another mess he caused, which made his other friends laugh at his face, especially Anna, the one who started the questioning in the first place. Either way, the witch seemed to be satisfied, and no longer pursued an answer from the merchant.

    -Anyway, since this is still a funeral, and while I know this is no longer practiced according to the custom on the battlefield, but please, allow me to sing the Song of Departure.

    The cat girl seemed more serious than normal, yet Theo could only find Elisha trying her best at being serious as something cute. He guessed when you knew someone for so long, it¡¯s hard to think of them as someone else when you only knew them with the way they always acted around you. To him, Elisha would always be the cute little sister he never have.

    -Who am I to refuse a Maiden of Heloise?

    Theo smiled, with was replied by Elisha with her own bright smile. Holding the gold magic staff on her hand, Elisha walked to the front of the burning pyre, with all the attention from the mercenaries focused on her and her following action.

    -Um¡­as you know, according to the custom in kingdoms that worship Lielos, a funeral must be finished with a priest or priestess singing the Song of Departure. I know it¡¯s not a practice in the battlefield, but as a Maiden of Heloise, it is my duty to perform the song for the dead to pass on. I¡­am not a particularly good singer¡­and there¡¯re no instruments to help me with my job¡­but please bear with me! I beg of you!

    Despite her reluctance, the mercenaries took Elisha¡¯s request in stride and simply urged her to do the job. At the back, her friends were cheering for her, believing the cat girl could perform her duty well.

    -T-Thank you! I¡¯ll do my best! Here I go!

    Everyone stayed silent in wait for Elisha. Only the sound of the burning fire bothered the cat girl as she took a deep breath while her hand was holding her golden medium-length magic staff. When she was finally ready, the girl started to sing her song, the Song of Departure.

    The night falls and the cold arrives.

    Tomorrow dies without a flicker of light.

    Why are prayers not answered? Why must the good die young?

    Is there hope in the world beyond?

    Elisha fell into a trance. As she sung, her golden staff started glowing and emitted a light as bright as daylight. And from the remains of the burning corpses, a miracle happened. Tiny glowing butterflies flew away from the corpses they emerged from, leaving behind a trail of glowing dust in their wake. Soon, the butterflies of death and rebirth banded together to become a swarm of miracles as they made their journey to the sky above. This miracle didn¡¯t happen only at the Empyrean Mercenary¡¯ funeral site, but also at other pyres at well, including even Origen¡¯s.

    But none said a thing, they were entranced with the wondrous sight and the beautiful singing voice to even care to do anything. And thus, Elisha continued to sing.

    Mother, I¡¯m scared! But do not afraid, she said.

    For there is reunion in the place souls gather

    To an eternal life without end, forever with those you hold dear

    Mortal life is but a moment, for reincarnation is but a miracle

    Existence¡¯s meaning is to live until the departure.

    For the reunion in the world after

    Soon, the lone singing voice was joined by the clattering of shields and swords, by sobbing men armed with weapons to take life as they made an orchestra of metal and wood, of iron and blood, with the only hint of grace lied in the young cat girl¡¯s voice, a Maiden¡¯s voice. Even so, for men dying in the middle of duty, what was the better sending they could ask for from their former comrades?

    Soon, we shall be together

    In a plane where you¡¯ll be in pain no longer

    In a place where evil never prospers

    With death comes your salvation, an end that leads to the beginning

    In the land of Ardahat far far away

    The song ended, along with the clapping shields and swords. The fire faded, leaving ashes behind, with the spirits drifted away from the mortal world, leaving the living behind to continue their struggle called existence.

    But tomorrow didn¡¯t die, as the light of dawn started to shine.

    For those who have yet to depart from the burden of the living world.

 Chapter 55: The Empyrean Mercenaries

    ¡¸Asphodel Meadows ¨C Alliance Army¡¯s camping site¡¹

    -Arghh!

    The soldier falls on his knees after being sucker punched in the stomach by his fellow soldier. Unlike the other soldiers surrounding him, who are well equipped with a full set of armor complete with brand new helmets and sturdy gauntlets, the groaning soldier looks like a farm boy playing war in comparison, considering he only has a cheap iron helmet to protect his head and a pair of worn-down iron gauntlets barely enough to cover his arms. The rest are simply his plain clothing, with a simple dark blue shirt and a common black trouser, with a brown scarf to cover his neck from the cold of Winter.

    -Get up! We¡¯re not finish yet!

    Two fully armored soldiers approach the young man lying on the ground and pick him up, but not without letting him go off their grip. Certainly they¡¯re not doing it out of good will, they do it just to give another soldier standing in the center of the crowd another chance to make the defenseless young man into his punching bag.

    -Even after taking that much, you still dare not to say a word¡­I see you have the guts required to be Origen¡¯s men.

    As he finishes his sentence, the soldier standing in the center throws another punch at the young man¡¯s stomach while the others continue to keep a hold of him.

    -But so were we!

    Despite having his saliva flown out of his helmet¡¯s mouth, the young soldier has yet to utter another word aside from the groaning of pain.

    -Still persistent, aren¡¯t you? Just like dear old Origen. Now, shall I remind you what you did wrong to deserve this fate?

    The soldier walks away from the young man and faces the crowd, as if he wants to make this charade into some kind of show, with them as the main actors.

    -Surely you remember the invasion a week ago? Would be sad if you don¡¯t, because you were there, together with Origen, valiantly charged through the demon horde toward Melas castle. But I won¡¯t talk about that, I will talk about what happened five days prior to Origen¡¯s great quest.

    The soldier takes a pause to gain his breath before resuming.

    -That time, Origen called for soldiers from his own army and a few others for a secret meeting, and then, he told us his plan to take on a suicidal charge toward Melas castle, to save mankind, humanity, and the Alliance, or something like that¡­I don¡¯t remember well, because you know what? His mages ambushed those who refused to partake in his madness! They casted a sleeping spell on us, and imprisoned us for five whole days before Origen went off with an army of madmen by his side! And guess what? All of them are now dead! Leaving cowards like you behind to take the blame for their failure!

    The soldier rushes at the young survivor and throws another punch at his stomach. Despite the pain, the young survivor still persists with his silence, which only helps pissing off the attacker and the soldiers around him.

    -Shall I take off his helmet? Maybe he¡¯ll beg for his life if his face becomes a pile of horseshit.

    -That¡¯s good! Let¡¯s see what kind of ugly face he¡¯s hiding behind that helmet he always wearing!

    No one says a thing, no one dares to object the punishment inflicted upon the survivor that carried the late Origen¡¯s legacy. Only when outside interference arrives does the torture stop.

    -Stop this madness right this instance!

    Yells a young man on horseback. His horse however isn¡¯t a normal horse, it¡¯s a unicorn, a mythical beast the common people only knows from stories and picture books, but the young man with a sheathed crystal sword behind his back is now riding one in flesh. If the sight alone doesn¡¯t make him out as an unordinary young man, the glowing seal in his right hand probably will.

    -The hero¡­Sera Fino!

    The crowd¡¯s gaze is fixed upon the young hero as he dismounts himself and approaches the man standing in the middle.

    -Humans shouldn¡¯t fight humans! If you still want to seek an opponent, then I¡¯ll be your guest! Just let that innocent man go!

    The armored man stays silent, but eventually he gives up thanks to the presence of a hero. With a hand gesture from him, the two soldiers grabbing the survivor let him go, but not without forcibly pushing him down to taste the dirt on the ground as a final kick. The crowd starts to leave one by one, until only the hero, the survivor, and the angry soldier remains.

    -Don¡¯t think just because you are a Hero means you can do whatever you want.

    With a final snark, the soldier eventually leaves. Right after that, Fino approaches the downed survivor and puts his right hand onto the survivor¡¯s back.

    -Are you okay? Can you stand up?

    -I think¡­I need some help¡­

    For the first time, the ill-equipped soldier speaks. With a helping hand from Fino, the young man stands again, although barely after all the punishment he went through. His clothes are now covered in dirt, but having Fino dusting off most of them out of his clothes helps somewhat.

    -Thank you for your kindness¡­Mister Hero.

    Says the young soldier. The helmet concealing his face makes it hard to see his expression, but Fino feels like there is a smile lies beneath the helmet.

    -Just call me Fino.

    Fino replies.

    -Why didn¡¯t you defend yourself? You are a soldier, aren¡¯t you? Is the sword by your waist just for show?

    The young soldier silently laughs.

    -As you said, Mister Hero¡­humans shouldn¡¯t fight humans.

    -That¡¯s not a reason to let those people do as they wish, even if they are your comrade from the same army!

    Yells Fino. He seems more worked up than normal.

    -They weren¡¯t wrong¡­because I¡¯m not an innocent man like you said earlier.

    Says the young soldier.

    -What are you talking about!?

    -I did help start a war, it¡¯s the truth. In the eyes of common soldiers like them, we plunged them into another era of chaos and bloodshed. The reason why the generals didn¡¯t execute us survivors was because practically most of Origen¡¯s followers are already dead. If that beating was the punishment for my sin, then so be it...That being said, they still kinda over did it, hahahaha. Now excuse me, Mister Hero, I think I need a good rest for my dear stomach¡­

    Fino falls silent. There were many types of people Fino met in his travel up until this day, but to see a person like this is a first for him. It¡¯s hard for the na?ve young hero to make sense of the person in front of him. Is he a doormat who let people trample on him? Is he a brave soldier who helped a great general bring a chance of victory for mankind? A tough nut to crack, but there is one thing Fino can make sure when he looks at the young soldier: a sense of sincerity.

    -So you are the one named Figaro Durant.

    As the young soldier starts to take his leave, the moment his name is called, he stops his feet, and returns to face the young hero he left behind.

    -How did you know my name?

    Asks Figaro.

    -I believe we haven¡¯t made a proper introduction. My name is Sera Fino, of the Empyrean Mercenaries. Figaro Durant, our leader wants to talk with you.

    ---------------------

    Due to their differences in purposes and origins, the mercenary bands made their camps far away from the main army, with messengers to act as their mean of communication in between. Despite the presence of the reinforcement armies from the Uestos continent in the West, the army from the Jingdom of Metallum still have the better say when it comes to how things work in this continent of Eostre, due to their sheer number and experience fighting the demons for ten years straight, although the latter is up for doubt. The location of the camps was decided by them, with the new meat reinforcement trapped in this war placed a bit far away from the battlefield, while the Metallum army stayed in the middle, and the mercenary bands facing foremost to the frontline. In other words, the High Command of Metallum practically and purposely used the mercenary camps as a meat shield against the demons, which will take the brunt of the attack in case of a sudden raid, and the mercenaries have no say in this matter, since they did not violate any rules made by the Guild and they are the one holding the purse. Surely the sound of dying men will make a terrific alarm bell.

    Across the camps fly the flags of various mercenary companies. There are the flags of the Blood Wolves, wild and untamed yet professional mercenaries; Iron Men, Metallum-born sellswords; Storm Eagles, a company consists solely of beastmen, and many more. Compare to them, the Empyrean Mercenary seems irrelevant at a first glance, with numbers barely reach a hundred at most, considering almost half of their men died fighting in their previous mission. But it was all thanks to that mission that life has returned to the mercenary camps everywhere, where they are preparing for the war yet to come, but inevitably will.

    -And here we are, the Empyrean Mercenary camp.

    Says the young hero Fino, accompanied by the one whose presence was requested by his leader: Figaro Durant, and the same person who is riding on his unicorn.

    -Maybe the gazes will stop after we enter your camp¡­

    Figaro mutters. It wasn¡¯t an easy journey from the main army camp toward this place, and while there weren¡¯t any monsters that showed up out of nowhere for a random encounter, the unnerving gazes of the masses were fixed upon the unremarkable soldier, who somehow ended up riding on the back of a mythical unicorn while its owner have to walk and lead the horned horse.

    -So? How did you feel?

    Asks Fino.

    -Better than before. So what the legend said is true, being near a unicorn is enough for wounds to heal!

    -I know. I was surprised the first time I experienced it as well.

    The young hero replies with a smile, but that smile quickly fades as he continues.

    -But us humans exaggerated their power. They believe unicorn¡¯s horn is an ingredient to make a potion that can cure any illness and disease, or brew an elixir of immortality. I understand how the Elves felt betrayed when human nobles started to butcher their sacred beasts in an attempt to escape mortal life. And thus, unicorns disappeared from the eyes of man, and faded back into myth.

    Fino caresses the white unicorn¡¯s head, it seems pleasant when being petted by someone it trusts.

    -¡­Anyway, I should dismount immediately! It doesn¡¯t feel right riding on a Hero¡¯s unicorn.

    Before Fino even has a chance to stop the man, Figaro has already dismounted from the unicorn, which only prompts a faint smile from the hero as they continue their walk through the entrance, guarded by the Empyrean Mercenary¡¯s banner depicting a yellow sun surrounded by a ring of fire on a red background.

    As they continue walking, Fino finds it rather strange, since while the camps themselves are intact, there aren¡¯t any of his comrades around. It¡¯s quieter than normal, while Figaro fails to pick up the hints, a sweat drops from Fino¡¯s cheek as he fears for the worst: A demon raid.

    -Arghh! Help me! Help me!

    Someone is yelling from somewhere. Commanded by his quick reflex, Fino leaves the unicorn and Figaro behind as he runs toward the source of the sound, confusing the young soldier and the unicorn he finds himself suddenly in charge of.

    Fino runs across the camps, and soon, he approaches the source of the sound, with his sword readied to unsheathe. And finally, he finds himself standing in front of¡­a bathing site in the middle of winter, with a mini pool made of wood lying in the center, along with a bunch of naked men happily bathing despite the cold weather, thanks to the mages on the side working their asses off trying to keep the water temperature hot with their magic.

    -What in the¡­

    -Mister Hero! What happ¡­oh dear Lielos¡­

    As Fino stands puzzled from the sight, Figaro finally arrives with the unicorn by his side and finds the source of the voice crying for help: A naked man being thrown to another side of the wooden pool, with the culprit being the muscular and naked elven man with a blonde beard as he boastfully laughs at the other men bathing with him.

    -Ahahahaha! Such puny strength! Any man man enough to think he is stronger than Aegil Alfbern Silvius, I¡¯ll allow him the right to try!

    -Egil! What are you doing?

    Yells Fino as he tries to comprehend what¡¯s happening before his eyes.

    -Oh, welcome back, Fino! We are only having a wrestling match!

    Never mind how absurd wrestling in the bath sounds, Fino continues to yell.

    -I mean, why are you having a bath in a first place!?

    -If you¡¯re asking about permission, then Theo approved of it.

    As the muscular elf explains the situation to the young Fino, he approaches the edge of the wooden pool and gets out¡­while naked without any bathing suit.

    -Egil! For the love of Lielos and all that is holy, get yourself some cover!

    Fino shouts, which prompts a laugh from the man and all the men bathing behind.

    -Ahahaha! What do you have to fear? Aren¡¯t we all men here? The girls have already kept themselves busy elsewhere.

    -Just do it, please!

    -Jeez¡­Fine, fine¡­

    As Egil walks away to find himself a towel, Figaro finally finds his chance to voice his thoughts, while his hands are covering the unicorn¡¯s eyes.

    -I¡¯m glad I¡¯m the one with the helmet.

    Fino can¡¯t help but throws the young soldier behind him a look of disbelief. A minute later, Egil returns with a towel shielding his lower half.

    -I understand the need for a bath¡­but we are going to have a war! The other mercenary companies are making war preparations, but here¡­

    Before Fino has a chance to continue, he finds Egil¡¯s hand placed on his brown hair as he gently rubs his head.

    -Now now, being serious like this is unlike you. I understand we are already at war, both I and Theo do, that¡¯s the more reason why we should enjoy things like this while we still have a chance.

    -But¡­

    -To quote Theo: Our mission right now isn¡¯t fighting, our mission right now is resting, healing, and recruiting more men. We need to regain the strength we have before. We are done with fighting for the time being, preparing for the war are now the jobs of other companies.

    Fino falls silent before turning his head up to look at the muscular elf in the eyes.

    -Theo said that?

    -There are more to war than just stabbing people with weapons, Fino. You are Theo¡¯s right hand man, so believe in his choice. Give yourself some break, we will need your inhuman strength in the near future.

    Fino gives up and nods in agreement.

    -Fine¡­I won¡¯t try to stop this anymore, but I still prefer to take my bath alone.

    -Geez, too bad, hahaha.

    Egil smiles, he doesn¡¯t seem to be too concerned of Fino¡¯s decision. Meanwhile, his vision is now focused on the helmeted soldier who is tending the white unicorn.

    -So¡­is that the new meat for our band?

    -Oh, you mean him? His name is Figaro Durant, from the Metallum army. Theo requested his presence to speak with him.

    -I see.

    The muscular elf walks past Fino and approaches the helmeted soldier before extending his right hand at the young man.

    -The name is Aegil Alfbern Silvius, Archery Commander. But my fellow comrades call me Egil for short. Nice to meet you, young one.

    Figaro is stunted from Egil¡¯s openness, as friendliness isn¡¯t something people talk about whether the topic of elves gets brought up. But nonetheless, friendliness will be met with friendliness, and Figaro accepts the elf¡¯s offer for a handshake.

    -It may be rude to ask this but¡­elves can actually grow beard?

    Egil laughs out loud from hearing Figaro¡¯s question.

    -Of course not!

    Egil rips the blonde beard off his face, only to reveal it is simply a cosmetic fake beard attached on his face from the start.

    -A birthday gift from Theo. I wish I could grow a beard like you humans, but it seems like Lielos the Creator deemed it too ugly for his beautiful elves!The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    -If Lielos cares about us, he would have sent lightning bolts down from the skies to destroy the demons ages ago.

    Egil simply laughs from Fino¡¯s response.

    -As the priests always said, Lielos works in mysterious ways. Anyway, don¡¯t keep Theo waiting. I¡¯ll be taking my leave.

    As he says his goodbye, Egil returns to the pool, takes off the bath towel, and resumes wrestling the men in the bath, the rest is better left for imagination.

    -Your friend sure is¡­impressive.

    -Please¡­stop talking for a moment¡­

    After shooting down Figaro¡¯s response, Fino continues leading the way deeper into his company¡¯s camp. Just like before, the camp is scarcely populated, either they joined the little pool party, or probably are wounded and unable to move. As they pass by the smaller tents, a tanned man with a crutch on his left and a bandaged right arm held by a sling walks out from a nearby tent. When he sees Fino, a jovial smile appears on the black-haired man.

    -Fino! You¡¯re back! And you brought a new friend together with you.

    -Are you well enough to actually walk, Oka? And if I remember it right, this is Alan¡¯s tent. How is his condition?

    The young sailor simply laughs.

    -He¡¯s well enough to cuss, that¡¯s for sure! As for me, it will take more than a dragon¡¯s bite to bring me down! But seriously, we won¡¯t make it alive without Elisha¡¯s tender help, send her our gratitude, won¡¯t you?

    Fino nods and smiles at the wounded sailor.

    -Dragon!? You fought a dragon and lived to tell the tale?¡­Was it a red-haired female dragon?

    When the word Dragon appears, Figaro interjects into their conversation. But rather than being puzzled by a newly met stranger, Oka seems more interested in how a common soldier knows about a dragon that terrorized Origen¡¯s men to the details.

    -How did you know about her? Who are you¡­?

    -This man is Figaro Durant. He is one of Origen¡¯s surviving men, and was also the one who accompanied Gust in his final mission.

    Figaro doesn¡¯t reply. He has been wondering what is his purpose for being called here from the start, but the moment the name Gust appears, Figaro finally has a grasp on the reason why.

    -I see¡­if you were with Gust during his demise, then you should understand the terror of facing a dragon in flesh and blood.

    -I know¡­

    Figaro nods without saying much as he tries not to recall the memories of that day.

    -The name is Okaenos Pelagius, it¡¯s a long ass name, so just call me Oka. Among the Empyrean, I am the Raid Commander. As you can see, I¡¯m from Unda. The grumpy dwarf inside is Alan Steinar, our Infantry Commander, but it¡¯s better that you don¡¯t visit him right away, he¡¯s really nasty, I tell ya.

    The young man smiles, barring his trademark shark teeth as he gazes to the tent behind his back.

    -I¡¯m Figaro Durant. Nice to meet you as well.

    Figaro replies the greeting. It¡¯s a shame Oka doesn¡¯t offer him a handshake like Egil earlier, but considering his current health condition, it¡¯s understandable.

    -All these talk about dragon makes me remember that girl. Damn¡­that girl was hot, both figuratively and literally. I wouldn¡¯t mind having my arm ripped off by her teeth if it was her. I wonder if she has a boyfriend¡­You think I have a chance, Fino? Hey, where are you going?

    Before Oka manages to finish his rant, he already finds Fino running off together with Figaro and the unicorn. Considering his condition, pursuing them just simply doesn¡¯t worth the trouble.

    -Why the hurry? We were still talking with that guy.

    Asks Figaro as he is being dragged by the young hero.

    -There are many things in this world better left unknown, Unda courtship custom is one of them. Beside, we kept Theo waiting long enough. Let us hurry.

    The two of them continue to walk, it doesn¡¯t take long considering their camp isn¡¯t that big, but Fino still feels like it has been forever thanks to the chance encounters with his comrades.

    -Your friends sure are quirky despite being sellswords.

    -I won¡¯t deny that, but they are the people I would trust with my life in the heat of the battlefield.

    Fino returns Figaro¡¯s comment with a gentle smile.

    -Oh, finally. We are here.

    Their journey ends when they arrive in front of a big tent in the middle of the camping site. While not fancy or astonishing by any means, its sheer size is enough to tell this is the tent befitting a leader. The entrance is blocked by a piece of white cloth to keep the activities inside private.

    -Please wait here for a bit, I¡¯ll notify Theo of your arrival.

    Seeing himself filling the role of the stranger, Figaro simply nods as Fino enters the tent. His wait doesn¡¯t take long however, as several minutes later, there are some loud noises inside the tent, and Fino suddenly comes flying out of the entrance like an arrow and falls head down to the ground.

    -Err? Mister Hero? What happened?

    Figaro rushes at Fino¡¯s side, and soon he realizes the cause of the event from a footmark by Fino¡¯s cheek. Someone kicked him hard enough to send the hero flying, and by the time Fino regains his foothold, the perpetrator herself is already waiting by the tent¡¯s entrance.

    -What was that for!?

    -For yours and Theo¡¯s stupidity!

    Fino¡¯s response gets quickly shot down by the yelling of a nasty girl standing in front of the tent. She¡¯s a girl, normally there wouldn¡¯t be such a confusion, but the way she dresses with a tight brown pant, and a sleeveless brown combat sweater combined with short and boyish hair cut make the blonde girl looks like a boy at first glance. But there are still obvious hints of femininity hidden inside her sky blue eyes and white silky skin combined with below average height even for a girl, though her¡­other assets, or lack of, seem to help in disguising herself as a boyish sellsword. Her weapon is a longsword strapped behind her back, though the weird thing is there are two sword handles pointing out at the top despite having only a single sheath.

    -Why did you do something so stupid like charging inside the enemy¡¯s line without telling me a single word!?

    The boyish girl yells.

    -Well, that¡¯s only because it was our job! The Empyrean¡¯s job! You¡¯re the one being ridiculous here, Aisha!

    -Even if I¡¯m just a freelancer, I still want to believe I¡¯m a part of you guys! If you guys were going to do something dangerous like that, the least you should do was telling me a word! You and Theo¡­why are both of you so stupid!?

    The boyish girl¡¯s face redden as her anger starts showing outside, but the moment her gaze meets with Figaro, she starts to behave herself and cool down her temper.

    -So, that guy is Theo¡¯s guest. As much as I want to punch you to a pulp right now, Fino, that will have to wait¡­but I¡¯ll return later to deal with you, remember that, you idiot!

    The girl angrily leaves the sites, while Figaro helps Fino to stand again after taking a drop kick to the face. As Fino eases the pain in his cheek, Figaro asks:

    -Another friend of yours?

    -I wish I could deny that¡­but yes. Her name is Aisha, and unlike us, she¡¯s a freelancer who hasn¡¯t joined a proper mercenary band yet. She mostly takes jobs from Theo, but she¡¯s also working for others band as well. As you can see¡­she¡¯s¡­more boyish than the other girls.

    Fino looks annoyed, either from the pain in his cheek, or by the pain brought by the boyish girl¡¯s presence.

    -You sure have a lot of interesting friends. My head starts to get dizzy from remembering their name alone.

    -Anyway, we wasted enough time already. Let¡¯s move on.

    With a helping hand from Figaro, the two of them enter the tent after tying up the unicorn¡¯s rein to a nearby pole.

    -Took you long enough to arrive.

    Greeting them at first is the voice of this tent¡¯s owner, followed by the sight of a neat but rather plain interior for a mercenary commander¡¯s tent. A wooden table with a several maps orderly arranged, boxes that contain important documents, an out-of-place bookshelf, a small table with several bags containing dark beans and a metal pot for some unknown purpose, and a plain and cheap bed enough for a good night sleep. And the owner of all of those is sitting behind his working desk, with a cup of hot coffee on the table next to his glasses, while the man himself is having his cheek fixed with medical wool by the hands of a lovely cat girl in white nun outfit.

    -So she got you too¡­That damn girl¡­

    Theo can do naught but put on an ironic smile as the slap mark on his cheek has yet to disappear, the same smile applies to the cat girl trying to make that wound fixed on Theo¡¯s own cheek.

    -If I was in her shoes, I would probably give you a slap as well, Theo. What you did with Origen from an outsider¡¯s perspective was truly outrageous. You were lucky to get off without serious consequences.

    Says the witch with a ponytail as she tries to search for something in Theo¡¯s bookshelf.

    -Err¡­so Figaro, this is¡­

    -Annagrom Erramun, but people call me Anna for short, and I prefer it that way. My family aren¡¯t very imaginative in naming their kids.

    Before Fino has his chance, the witch called Anna has already took the initiative away and introduces herself.

    -Erramun? As in¡­THE Erramun clan? One of the founding clans of the Grand Academy City of Conatus? And the same clan Nilrem the Sage, the mage of Erdrick the Savior¡¯s legendary party who helped defeat Dargoth, descended from!?

    -And traitor of the Legendary Six, because people never seem to forget that part and will remind it to my face everytime my surname is mentioned.

    The witch puts on an ironic smile as she replies Figaro¡¯s words.

    -Even so, it¡¯s still amazing.

    Says the young soldier. For a rank and file soldier like him, meeting a descendant from one of the legendary heroes must feel amazing to him.

    -You know who is also amazing? Our cat girl over there!

    The cat girl startles when her presence is noticed by the young wizard.

    -Elisha Hughard, the brightest, and cutest, amongst the Maidens of Heloise! Capable of bringing men from the brink of death back to life, her healing magic is on par with Heloise herself, to the point people said Elisha Hughard is the second coming of the Holy Saint Heloise! If she still stayed in Luminis, by this point she would have already became the Head Maiden. But what a tragedy, fate just had to guide our young hero Fino to shag her away from the Holy City of Luminis and dropped her at this sorry mess of a continent!

    Anna begins her dramatic monologue, which is somewhat well met by Theo and Figaro, not so in the case of Fino and the cat girl in question as they put on their fakest smile possible.

    -Talk about the hero himself. Sera Fino! Born in Metallum, raised in Solis. After a background check, this sorry guy turned out to be a direct blood descendant of the Savior Erdrick himself! And thus, the Light God Church bestowed him the sword of purity Solias for his holy mission of defeating the 100th Demon King! But he went and became a mercenary instead! What a shame!

    Fino can do naught but laugh as Anna introduced him in a way that doesn¡¯t make people think of him seriously, but somehow Figaro¡¯s enthusiasm is still captured by every words said from Anna¡¯s mouth.

    -You mean¡­that sword was the same sword used by the Savior Erdrick to stab through the Demon King Dargoth¡¯s heart, ending the war between the Alliance and the demons a thousand years ago like the stories about them!? Dear Lielos¡­I can¡¯t believe a day like this would come in my life!

    His helmet is the only thing to help contain his amazement from showing outside, but that doesn¡¯t stop him from showing it all through his clenching fists and shaking legs as he stares at the people around the room, all of them with unique backgrounds that set them apart from the common people he knew.

    -You seem to be a fan of the tales about the Legendary Six¡¯s exploits.

    Says the mercenary commander with a smile on his face.

    -Of course I am! My father used to tell me those stories every night back when I was a child. I still remember the heroic deeds of the Legendary Six just like yesterday. Erdrick the Savior, Nilrem the Sage, Heloise the Saint, Ylva the Berserker, Arnulf the Sniper, and Gale the Thief. Every child in the Heaven Realm knows about how they saved the world from the terror brought by Dargoth. They were true heroes, and the role model every child aspires to become!

    His enthusiasm is short-lived however, as the soldier quickly reminds himself he is still in the presence of a mercenary leader, and thus he adjusts his attitude to be formal enough.

    -Still¡­for you to be the leader of all these amazing people¡­just who are you?

    Seeing as there is a question directed at him, Theo picks up and wears the glasses he left on the table and confidently replies.

    -I am the guy giving them their paycheck. My name is Theodoric, it¡¯s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Figaro Durant.

    -It¡¯s a pleasure for me as well. Though your name is only Theodoric? You¡­don¡¯t have a surname? Are you by chance a¡­

    Suddenly, the moment Figaro makes his question, he is met with an intense gaze from all the people in the room aside from Theo himself. The soldier is confused, as the gazes themselves don¡¯t have any hostile intent, but they don¡¯t have an ounce of friendliness either. To ease the tension, the merchant simply laughs.

    -Hahaha. Yes, I¡¯m a bastard, just like Origen himself was. Children born out of wedlock have no right to bear any surname, it¡¯s the written law ever since the concept of law was introduced, so it can¡¯t be helped, not like I can freely dig a surname and use it for myself.

    -I¡¯m¡­sorry¡­my apology for bringing this up.

    Theo continues to smile to lighten up the mood.

    -Don¡¯t worry, being called a bastard is far from the worst slur I received ever since I took on this occupation.

    -Thank you, I believe I haven¡¯t make a proper introduction myself. My name is Figaro Durant, I¡¯m a son of a barber in the Kingdom of Metallum. As you can see, I¡¯m just an ordinary guy drafted into being a soldier when I came of age. I¡¯m no stuff of legend, but I¡¯ll do my best with what I can do!

    With a firm grip of the sword by his waist, Figaro makes his best impression of a soldier to introduce himself in front of the mercenary leader. That¡¯s how he was taught, how the soldiers of Metallum army were taught when they need to present themselves to their superior.

    -You were a soldier of Origen, who joined him for his suicidal quest, that alone made you more special than other soldiers.

    Theo smiles before he continues.

    -I guess it¡¯s about time we get into the real business, about why I called you here, Figaro.

    -Well, I guess I¡¯ll have to excuse myself and let you boys handle the man talk. By the way, I¡¯ll be taking this as my bonus payment for the last mission. I¡¯m sure you have no objection.

    Says Anna as she quickly leaves the tent with a book from Theo¡¯s bookshelf on her hand. The catgirl herself also quickly follows behind, but not without giving some advices on how Theo should handle the red slap mark on his cheek.

    -I think I should leave as well.

    -No, stay, Fino. I don¡¯t mind you being here. This is also important for you as well.

    Fino¡¯s request to leave gets denied, but he doesn¡¯t make any other rejection for that. The hero is also curious of what Theo¡¯s demanding from a lone soldier like Figaro.

    -Before we begin, why won¡¯t you let yourself be at ease? Wearing that helmet already must make you feel cramped.

    The young soldiers seems nervous from Theo¡¯s courteous request.

    -Err...it¡¯s fine, Sir. Thank you for your good will, but I actually feel more comfortable wearing my helmet. It was a gift from my father before I departed to the frontline.

    Theo knows there exist people who really value possessions given to them by their loved ones, but to think of an old iron helmet as one of those is certainly a first to him. Nonetheless, it is irrelevant.

    -Suit yourself, then.

    -Thank you. So¡­why did you call me here, sir?

    With Figaro¡¯s question, Theo finally gets into the main business.

    -During the initial assault on Melas castle, General Origen sent out a team attacking the North-East part of the castle, with one man tasked with wearing his own Paladin armor and riding his horse in order to divert the demons¡¯ defending force away from the main entrance. The man he chose for that mission was Gust, a swordsman from Suntos, and a member of our band. At first, Origen launched a secret raid on the North-East ward in order to secure a foothold before the bait came in, because depended on how successful they were, the battle might continue at that place. But the demons didn¡¯t take the bait, because there was something else guarding that place, something strong enough for the demons to put their faith on her shoulders.

    -That Dragon¡­

    Fino mutters as he clenches his fists.

    -Indeed. The dragon, something unexpected that no one, not even Origen himself, knew about. Her existence alone threw a wrench into his plan, forcing him to revise their battle plan, and we all know how that turned out. But I¡¯m not summoning you here to talk about your general Origen, Figaro. I already heard what happened from the survivors, but only you know how it happened, because you are the only one from that mission who survived through all the following ordeals. Figaro, I want you to tell me about how Gust fought the dragon¡­and how he died.

    Despite shaking his hands from hearing what he was asked, Figaro firmly replies with a strong determination in his voice.

    -I¡¯ll do my best!

    The following time is spent talking and talking about what happened through the viewpoint of Figaro, who was present back when the dragon debuted herself. He starts with the initial raid mission, where he and a bunch of other soldiers secretly climbed the walls of Melas in order to secure the area. Their main enemy were skeletons, but they were Origen¡¯s men, mankind¡¯s finest as described by Raganhar¡¯s words, they were experienced enough to fight the skeletons without difficulty. But the dragon was a different matter, and Figaro was the one who experienced it firsthand when she tore mankind¡¯s finest apart with her bare hands, and he could only watch as his comrades dropped like flies in the following pursuit, until ¡°Origen¡± himself appeared.

    -Gust fought bravely to the end, never once did he consider giving up the fight and run for his life. But what is a human to a dragon? Even when he cut off her head, the dragon still lived, and delivered the killing blow afterward. All I could do was just standing there and watched that damn dragon put a hole into his chest¡­I¡¯m sorry¡­for my powerlessness¡­

    Figaro falls silent after he finishes his story. No one in the room utters any words. Theo keeps his hands by his mouth, falling deep in thought. Meanwhile, there are tears flowing down Fino¡¯s eyes with his fists firmly clenched, and the Light Seal on his right hand shining brightly.

    -I believe this is enough. Thank you for your story, Figaro. To be honest, while I wanted to hear how a friend of mine met his end, I¡¯m more concern about details regarding this unknown dragon. The dead died, but the living still have a war to fight, and if we are to continue to conduct business with war, surely we will soon face the same dragon in the future.

    -That¡¯s all I know regarding the dragon. I hope it may prove useful for you to bring that dreadwyrm down.

    Theo simply nods in response.

    -If there is nothing else you would ask of me, then I guess this is farewell for now, sir.

    -Don¡¯t be so hasty. There¡¯s still one thing left I want to ask you.

    With his hands intertwined together on the table, Theo speaks.

    -Figaro Durant, soldier of Origen. Would you like to join the Empyrean Mercenary as a member of our band?

    Both Figaro and Fino are shocked by Theo¡¯s sudden proposal. Figaro¡¯s hands and legs start shaking as he tries to recollect his thought for an answer.

    -B-But I¡¯m still a conscripted soldier in the Metallum main army!

    -You may not know this yet, but by tomorrow, Origen¡¯s surviving men will be merged into General Raganhar¡¯s army. I personally know Raganhar, it will be easy to pull a few strings and have you transferred into our band as a sellsword. But, that still depends on your answer, Figaro Durant. Would you like to join us and fight for mankind together?

    Figaro stays silent, his hands and legs stop shaking, but he has yet to speak his answer until a minute later, when he has finally managed to recollect his thought.

    -I¡­really appreciate the offer, but I¡¯m afraid I have to refuse! I¡¯m truly sorry!

    Figaro bows his head in front of Theo as he gives him his refusal. Not even Theo can hide the surprise on his face, while Fino has no need to hide it as he doesn¡¯t even bother to try.

    -I will honor your wish, but if I may, what is the reason for your refusal?

    Figaro stops bowing and returns to his standing stance before answering.

    -Haha¡­Well¡­I guess because¡­I dislike fighting. That¡¯s not a natural thing to say when you are a soldier of Metallum army. You know what they said about showing a Metallum child a hammer, a pitch-fork and a sword, right? Well¡­when it happened to me¡­I remember choosing a piece of four leaf clover growing in our house¡¯s garden. I got a big scolding afterward¡­but¡­what I mean is¡­ I don¡¯t want to fight, I only fight because I have to, because I was drafted into this army, and thus, I have to fight if I want to survive. That¡¯s why I can¡¯t become a sellsword, I don¡¯t want to fight for other reasons than because I have to. As a soldier, I have about two years until my mandatory military service ends, and when it does, I¡¯ll get to go home and reunite with my parents, my brothers and my sisters. So¡­sorry, sir, I can¡¯t become your men, even though I wanted to.

    A smile appears on Theo¡¯s face, while he may not agree with Figaro¡¯s reasoning, he can feel sympathy toward his ideal.

    -It¡¯s too bad, but I will accept this reasoning of yours. One last question though: Even though you dislike fighting, why did you choose to join Origen on his quest?

    -Because I don¡¯t want to make the time I spent on this continent become meaningless. I will do what I can, because that¡¯s the only thing I can do.

    The helmet may have hide it, but there is a smile on Figaro¡¯s face. There are countless helmeted soldiers like him populating this foreign land, but he may not be the only one who has this view for their duty in the war against the demons.

    -I think I can accept that. Thank you, Figaro. May our path crosses again in the future.

    Figaro bids his farewell to Theo and the young Hero before leaving the tent by himself.

    -What a shame, he seems to be a nice guy. I would love to have him as a comrade. Still, why him? It¡¯s not like you can shamelessly request something like that to Raganhar. If you want to have more recruits, normally you would ask the Mercenary Guild for that matter.

    Asks Fino as he approaches Theo¡¯s table after he gets tired of standing on the side from the start of the talk. When Theo finishes having a slip from his cup of coffee, he replies.

    -For one, he was Origen¡¯s men. Who wouldn¡¯t want to have someone who followed their leader even to their obvious death as their own soldier? That kind of devotion isn¡¯t something money can buy.

    -And the other reason?

    Theo falls silent despite being urged by Fino for an answer.

    -I guess¡­that¡¯s just because of my paranoia.

    -You¡¯re not making any sense here.

    Fino replies, but Theo himself doesn¡¯t clarify his second reasoning to the hero under his employ, and passes it away as a simple gibberish thought.

    -Either way, my business with that guy is over, it¡¯s time for our business Fino. I will give you a new mission!

    -Already? Why?

    -Because of your disobedience during the Melas mission! Just because I was busy dealing with the aftermath¡¯s mess doesn¡¯t mean I forgot about that! Seriously, what were you thinking when you hopped on a mid-launched Golem to propel yourself toward the castle?

    Theo sudden starts yelling, with visible anger in his face. Despite being a chosen hero of the Light God, Fino is now cowering from the scolding of his friend and commander.

    -Well¡­the Light Seal told me something, I felt it and acted on my own. I guess it was telling me to meet my nemesis, that dragon.

    -Either way, your action almost got Oka and Alan killed. You are my friend, Fino, we know each other from childhood together with Elisha, but I just can¡¯t let this slide away. You need to work twice as hard to redeem yourself!

    Fino gives up as he scratches his hair from being scolded.

    -Fine¡­I understand. I¡¯ll do it. So where will I go this time?

    -To the Suntos continent. I have a job for you there.

 Chapter 56: The Suntos continent

    The girl opens her eyes and is quickly greeted by the darkness surrounding her. The red haired girl thinks this must be another mysterious dream of hers, but she quickly finds out that is not the case as she moves her limbs, only for them to stop midway and bump into a dead end. It''s not like there is something wrong with her body, again; it''s simply because of the enclosed environment trapping her inside. And again, it¡¯s not like something Deborah can¡¯t deal with.

    With a straight punch, Deborah breaks whatever blocking her way to the world outside, and from the crack, a ray of sunlight shines down. When she manages to escape her enclosement, Deborah finds herself trapped in another thing that is far beyond what she expected.

    ¡°What in the world¡­?¡±

    A neverending sea extending to the end of the horizon, sunlight so bright as if the sun is a few kilometers away, the warm flowing wind carrying along the saltiness of the sea, the cries of flying seagulls, the wet sand filling the seashore leading to the greenest forest Deborah ever seen. Deborah feels lost, this is no longer the cold and quiet Melas castle she knows ever since her awakening. A stranger in a strange land. This revelation both scares her and excites her. It has always been her wish to get out of Melas¡¯s castle walls and explore the world, what Deborah didn¡¯t expect is for her wish to be granted in this kind of way.

    After the feeling of awe escapes her mind, Deborah reminds herself of the reality in front of her. She is currently on a foreign land, with zero clues on how or why she is here. The last memory she remembers is still hazy, but Deborah has a feeling it wasn''t a very pleasant memory.

    Anyway...for the time being.

    Deborah salvages what''s left of her transporting box, carried by a small boat that somehow successfully transported her to this foreign land without any sailor. Inside the box lies an envelope, carefully sealed by magic and can only be open by solving the magic pattern used to make the seal. Failure means the destruction of the content inside, but only for strangers who somehow got their hand on this envelope in the first place. For a mage like Deborah, something on this level can be considered child play. To present a challenge like this isn''t any different than throwing an insult.

    Did you afraid I¡¯ll lose my mind again after I wake up, Nilrem?

    Letting the deeper meanings run past her head, Deborah proceeds to solve the encrypted envelope with no difficulty and opens it to examine the content inside. The envelope is carrying four items: two letters, with one addressed to Deborah herself, while the other doesn''t have any names attached, the other two are a map of Suntos continent with descriptions written in demon¡¯s language, and a golden ring with magical runes engraved in its interior.

    What¡¯s the meaning of all these?

    Deborah has the feeling all the answers she seek lie behind the letter with her name on it. With no hesitation, Deborah takes the letter out and gives it a read.

    Dear Deborah, if you can read this letter then that means there are still some hope left for you.

    The first sentence alone is enough to irritate Deborah.. It doesn''t take a genius to know who wrote this letter.

    I do not know how long it would take for you to wake up from your current slumber. It won''t be very climatic if I¡¯m already returned to the earth by the time you finished sleeping in. I wrote this letter with the assumption that you¡¯ll wake up after a week or a month counting from the moment this letter was made. You may feel at lost and wonder why I sent you to the Suntos continent, but I believe you already knows the answer yourself.

    I will keep it short: You need to seek guidance from the chief of Aherin tribe. I already marked their location on the map that comes together with this letter, though I do not know if they would still be around by the time you read this, as all Beastmaster tribes are nomadic by nature. If you managed to track them down, present the other letter to their chief. The rest depends on the chief¡¯s answer. When you are done, you can use the boat you¡¯re standing on to return to Melas, though that choice is up to you, and you alone.

    Deborah gives a glance at the map on her other hand. It¡¯s a hand-drawn map of Suntos continent, though it¡¯s not something very out of the ordinary, considering she once saw maps like this back in Melas castle¡¯s general store. There are several markings on the map, they pin point special locations for Deborah to take note off. The first mark is at the North-West part of the Suntos continent, the place Deborah¡¯s boat landed.The Aherin tribe resides in the Great Steppe, just beneath the Elowen forest in the south, downward from Deborah''s current position.

    ¡°From one forest to another¡­¡±

    Deborah mutters as her eyes gaze upon the forest past the sand filled seashore. It would probably take a few days to even get to the steppe, according to her mental calculation. Of course, it would be easier just to use the boat she¡¯s standing on and sail back to Melas, skipping all the fuss and troubles awaiting her in this strange land. But doing that would just be a waste of time, Deborah thought.

    There are still some words left in Nilrem¡¯s letter.

    The journey will be long and tedious. In case you start to get lonely, I give you the Ring of Thought Transference. It comes in a pair, the other one I already gave to your familiar. If you want to have a talk with him, just put it on your finger and think about what to say, though that still depends on whether you actually have the courage to do it, and the same for him.

    I have already explained everything that you needed to know. The rest now lie on your hands, Deborah Draconis.

    Deborah glances at the golden ring on her hand. A ring that enables telepathy, allowing her to mentally talk to the her familiar, who she accidentally summoned to this world. But just like what Nilrem described in her letter, it depends on Deborah herself to put that ring to good use.

    And the girl¡¯s response is to put that ring inside the pocket of her long black skirt, along with the map and the letter for the chief, while Deborah burns Nilrem¡¯s letter via a quick burst of fire from her hand. When she is done, Deborah jumps off the boat, and let her feet feels the cold of the sea water as they flood her simple black shoes.

    ¡°This is going to be a pain in the ass¡­¡±

    Deborah can¡¯t help but cuss as she imagines the upcoming adventure waiting ahead of her.

    Before she starts her journey, Deborah still needs to secure her ticket home. With the support of her strength, Deborah drags the boat off the sea and moves it deeper into the shore, just by the entrance to the forest. When she found a secure enough position, Deborah starts making a barrier to mask away the presence of the boat by camouflaging it as a huge rock from outside. After she is done with the preparation, Deborah gives a final gaze at the sea, to the continent she¡¯ll leave behind her back, before proceeding to enter Elowen forest.

    The journey to the hinterland is mostly uneventful, but to Deborah, it¡¯s an experience she never had before ever since her awakening. The trees she walks by are brimming with life, with a sea of green leaves making up a thick shield to block the sun away, but rays of sunlight still managed to shine the road with flowers and fungi growing on the side. The Elowen forest isn¡¯t as quiet as the Darkwood back in Melas, with singing birds filling Deborah¡¯s journey with joy as she ventures deeper and deeper. It almost feels like Deborah has entered a wonderland devoid of all the worries and tragedies from the outside world. But Deborah knows that was just wishful thinking. She can¡¯t escape her past and neither her future, she was sent here to make it at least bearable for her to move on forward. That is certain.

    As Deborah continues her journey, she hears the sound of¡­something in a nearby bush. As Deborah rises her alert, the source of sound reveals itself as a moose-like creature, with moose-like feature like a gentle face, if not a bit stupid, and a pair of antler, the only difference is this moose is as big as a giant bear, nearly two meters tall. Sure, the bush it was hiding prior is rather big, but still, Deborah does not expect to suddenly face something like this in the middle of the road.

    So there are monsters like this in the Suntos continent as well¡­

    The monster moose and Deborah exchange gazes. Deborah clenches her fists, preparing for a battle should the moose goes hostile. But to her disappointment, the giant moose simply turns its head and walks away to munch on the nearest bush of grass, completely ignoring the novice traveler. It¡¯s not like Deborah herself expects a bloody fight out of bloodlust, it¡¯s just rare for her to encounter a monster that doesn¡¯t want to have a piece of her.

    So there¡¯s still some things out there that don¡¯t want to kill me on sight. Reassuring¡­

    Deborah puts on more guard as she continues her journey. The little event earlier was there to remind her there are still a lot of things beyond the walls of Melas that she does not know about, and not all of them would be as benign as the giant moose earlier. This isn¡¯t the world she knows from words written in the library¡¯s books, this is the real world of Airumel that she can see and feel and experience. The more she travels, the more the world¡¯s mysteries will be unraveled, and Deborah won¡¯t let herself be caught off guard when that happens.

    The rest of today¡¯s journey remains uneventful, aside from the sceneries and the occasional encounters with native creatures. By the time night falls, Deborah has already made a camp inside a small cave she found.

    -That should do it¡­

    A glittering bonfire, burning away the woods she gathered from nearby. Not like Deborah herself needs the light and the warmth, but the warmth of fire for some reason always make her feel at ease.

    That¡¯s¡­not a good thing when I thought about it.

    Deborah reminds herself how her fire was the thing that caused the numerous death in the aftermath of the siege of Melas. Those memories when she went berserk are starting to return to her the more time passes. For the time being, she remembers the fight against the heroes of the Alliance, how her friends came to her aid, how she failed them by selfishly relying on her own power and was consumed by it, causing untold deaths and destruction for a brief moment of foolishness. Deborah still struggles to remember how that mess got solved, or how she fell into a coma that leads to the current exile to Suntos. These gaps in her memory probably caused by her awakening today. Maybe in time they will return, eventually¡­

    I hope so¡­

    Deborah finds herself laying her head and the rest of her body on the cold and stiff ground of the cave, with no blanket or a pillow to make her rest a bit more comfortable. Aside from the letters, there aren¡¯t any survival tools that came along with the boat. Deborah only has her own hands as the tools she can use for her survival. Not like Deborah expected this whole journey to be a picnic in the park, but the lack of proper tools doesn¡¯t help her already low opinion on her legal guardian Nilrem.

    Well¡­it can¡¯t be helped¡­

    Deborah stops her mental complain. If this is her punishment for all the destruction she caused, then it is certainly not cruel enough. Deborah stares at the burning fire, before her eyes start dimming and finally closed as Deborah falls into sleep.

    ¡­

    Deborah washes her face by the bank of a river. The water is shallow, barely reaching her knees, then again Deborah is a girl taller than most girls. The water looks clean enough to drink, so Deborah satisfies her thirst with the river water.

    Another uneventful morning, with nothing of note ever since her departure from that small cave. It starts to feel strange for Deborah when things around her don''t actively want to kill her, unlike the nature beyond the walls of Melas, which Deborah experienced without a need to go outside of the walls thanks to the Darkwood forest confined within Melas¡¯s boundaries. Maybe it¡¯s a kind of homesick, Deborah thought.

    Either way, monster attack is currently the least of her problems, there is another that requires her full attention: provisions for traveling. Although the lack of water or food won¡¯t kill her outright, Deborah can still experience thirst and hunger. Deborah can temporary satisfies her thirst with the river water, but her stomach is another matter.

    For once, I regret being picky in what to eat¡­

    Deborah¡¯s favorite food is steak. Of course, it¡¯s not like a perfectly well done serving of steak would grow in the root of trees for her to find. Would be good if Deborah can conjure a piece of steak out of thin air with her magic, but if people can create food with magic alone there won¡¯t be any suffering in the world.

    After deciding she will search for whatever available on the road, Deborah starts to cross the river in order to resume her second day on her journey. According to the map, it would only takes another day of traveling from this river onwards to reach the Great Steppe. Normally, it costs three or four days for travelers to reach this destination through the hinterland, but since Deborah traveled alone, combined with her own incredible constitution, the traveling time has been cut in half.

    -This looks edible.

    As Deborah continues walking to her destination, she finds a tree by the road, with colorful berries growing on its branches. Tempted by the sight of food, Deborah picks several berries off the tree and eats them all...only to quickly spits them out of her mouth.

    -Too bitter!

    The last thing Deborah expects in colorful berries is for them to taste like mud. Then again, food in Melas castle always taste like mud. While Deborah certainly can eat all the berries if her stomach demands it, but it would be too much torture for her tongue, so Deborah passes the idea and continues searching for something else to eat.

    But the more time passes, the more futile her search becomes. Deborah has no way to know which plants are edible and which are not. At a time like this, Deborah wishes she read more books about survival skills rather than history books and novels. It¡¯s almost noon, Deborah can already feel the toll her hunger put on her.

    I really have to hunt something, haven¡¯t I?

    No work, no eat, Deborah understands it that much, despite being pampered with free meals back when she was still a student of Melas. Deborah have read books about the adventurers of old, and how they sustained themselves on their travel by hunting animals like rabbits. Deborah already knows she has no luck with animals, but if she can¡¯t fill her stomach by chewing grass, the only option she has left is to hunt something down and kill it, and hope for it to turn out edible afterward.

    Deborah takes a detour and walks deeper inside the forest, at locations she thinks most likely for animals to gather. Of course, no animals show up just as how Deborah expected them to be. Deborah is aware her presence alone is enough to ward animals away from her, the aura that comes with being a live dragon, it reminds animals and monsters that who is their superior, only the most foolish or powerful animals and monsters can resist a dragon¡¯s presence and don¡¯t flee away like vermin. That is, however, not a useful ability to possess when Deborah wants animals to appear for her to hunt them.

    ¡°Sometimes I have to remind myself I¡¯m still a mage, really¡­¡±

    When her fists fail to solve her problems, Deborah decided to use her gift with magic to answer her troubles instead. She finds an ideal location to hide, chants a spell and draws a circle with her soul energy to erect a barrier, one with the ability to hide her presence and keeps her dragon aura in check. And when the barrier is complete, Deborah enters the circle with a purple light dome above it, sits down and waits.

    Time passes as Deborah¡¯s patience grows thin while her stomach continues its rebellion. It¡¯s already past high noon, and still no signs of animals crossing the path. Deborah sighs as she tries to contain her growling stomach.

    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    Maybe I should just rush to the Aherin tribe and hope they can spare me some food¡­

    The problem is how can Deborah endure her hunger until she meet them. It¡¯s not like she¡¯ll die without food or water, but lacking them would make her travel a lot slower as she tries to fight the feeling of hunger and thirst. Maybe it¡¯s about time she learns how to pray if she wants her prey to appear.

    But it turns out prayers aren¡¯t needed after all. There¡¯s a rumbling sound in the bushes, and from there, a pair of grey rabbits come out for a stroll. Seems like the barrier worked, as they don¡¯t run away despite Deborah being nearby. But her barrier only helps to hide her presence, if the rabbits get closer, they will find out a predator is waiting for her chance, and run away before Deborah can give chase.

    I guess it¡¯s time to work up my magic again.

    Magic alone is all Deborah needs when there aren¡¯t any other tools available. Deborah rises her hand and chants a spell. She doesn¡¯t want something destructive, it would only make her food a lot harder to cook and eat afterward. For now, her best choice is a capturing spell. It only takes a blink of an eye for Deborah to complete her spell without making any loud sound. Above the pair of rabbits, a small spatial cage made from soul energy appears out of thin air and falls down toward the animals. One rabbit is quick enough to dodge the cage, but the other isn¡¯t so lucky. The small cage traps the rabbit inside, when it tries to escape, the cage pushes it away without harming it. The same applies to outside interference, as the other rabbit helplessly tries to free its friend in vain, only to run away as the predator reveals herself from her hiding place.

    ¡°Finally¡­¡±

    Deborah approaches the cage she conjured. As she reaches her hand toward the cage, the cage automatically opens its upper part and allows Deborah to grab the rabbit inside.

    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡±

    Says Deborah as she places her thumb at the rabbit¡¯s chest. The rabbit struggles to escape her grip, but soon it quickly finds its attempt to escape her grasp is futile. Her thumb is already in position, when enough strength is applied, it would generate a force as strong as a hammer, enough to crush the rabbit¡¯s chest, instantly killing it without giving it time to feel pain. That is presuming Deborah still wants to actually do the deed.

    ¡°No, no! Don¡¯t give me that look! You¡¯re only making it harder to me!¡±

    The grey rabbit stops struggling, instead, it stares at Deborah with its puppy eyes, trying to appeal to its predator for a chance to live. Deborah has her chance to quickly finish her job, but now, her blunder allowed the rabbit a chance to attack her softer side.

    ¡°It won¡¯t work. I have killed men before, what makes you think I can¡¯t kill a rabbit like you?¡±

    Says Deborah. It is true, Deborah have killed many men before she arrived here. Tough as nail, brave and honorable soldiers, fighting for a good cause, but Deborah killed them all for invading her home. Comparing to that, killing a rabbit for food is childplay, especially an innocent rabbit who have led a peaceful life in the forest, together with its family and friends waiting back home, but fate is cruel, it allowed a blood thirsty dragon to make her way to this forest, for a chance encounter during its stroll that leads to its impending death.

    ¡°¡­I will do it! I will!¡±

    But, right at that moment, before Deborah¡¯s thumb crushes the rabbit¡¯s chest, a flash of memory appears inside her head.

    The face of her familiar, Akuma, who¡¯s standing in the middle of a field of snow. There is a trail of blood flowing out of his mouth, yet his eyes are so peaceful as he looks into Deborah¡¯s own eyes. A smile appears on his lips. And then, the young man falls to the ground, with Deborah¡¯s right arm sliding through the hole she made on his chest. As Deborah stares at the bloodied right arm protected by her dragon scale, the flash of memory ends right there, returning to the same clean arm that is getting a hold on the innocent rabbit.

    A sweat drops from Deborah¡¯s cheek. The vision is so vivid as if it was real. Or maybe it was, only until now that Deborah remembers it, about what she did that day.

    Deborah closes her eyes and bites her lips. Her grip loosen, and the rabbit takes that very brief chance to escape her grasp and rushes back to the forest. But Deborah doesn¡¯t give chase after her dinner, she only stands there and stares at her clean arms. There aren¡¯t any smell of blood, yet somehow Deborah can still smell the scent lingering on her arms, something even water can¡¯t washes away. In other word, guilt.

    Deborah puts her right arm on her chest. She feels nothing except the stillness of her inner body. Blood may flows inside her chest, but her heart is no longer beating, or rather, she gave it to someone else since it was the only way to save that person. The sudden revelation makes Deborah forget her hunger, filling it with guilt and doubt instead, with a mix of fear.

    Am I going to let my hands bloodied again?

    Deborah leaves the area and continues on her journey. There is no point to begin another hunt.

    ¡­

    Night falls. There isn¡¯t any cave around this time, so Deborah made camp near a small cliff. She rests her back to a tree and silently sits there to watch the burning camp fire. Still no luck in finding food, and Deborah has already tried her luck with all the edible plants she found. At this point she may as well be reborn as a herbivore.

    Deborah¡¯s stomach growls again. She basically abandoned her quest for food, and relies on her chance to find the Aherin tribe instead. By tomorrow, she¡¯ll arrive at the Great Steppe if the map is to be trusted. When she finally reach the steppe, it won¡¯t take very long to find the nomadic tribe. That is to say if Deborah can make it through the night with an empty stomach.

    In an attempt to entertain herself through the boring night, Deborah takes out the golden ring that came with the envelope. The Ring of Thought Transference, Nilrem called it. Sometimes even Deborah forgets Nilrem is an Archsage, she always thought Nilrem is a witch, not the magical kind, but in the bad meaning people gave the witches in folklore. Old hags who eat children and make demonic rituals. Then again, Nilrem is a witch living in the demon continent. Eating children and making demonic rituals seem normal in the demon¡¯s land.

    ¡°Still¡­he has the same one, hasn¡¯t he?¡±

    The way Nilrem wrote in her letter indicates that her familiar is still alive, despite the thing she did to him that only until now does she remember. If she puts this ring into her finger, she will be able to communicate with him despite their distance. But assuming she wants to talk with her familiar, what would she talk about? Ask how well is his health? How¡¯s the weather there? Apologize for putting a hole in his chest, assuming he even remember that?

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Deborah stares at the ring before she closes her eyes, all while gripping the ring with her hand. She¡¯s scared of talking to him. What would he even say to her if she does try and talk to him. Will he blame her for causing his near death experience? Or thanking her for saving him? She¡¯s more afraid of the latter than the former. It would be fine to blame her, she deserves it, but she understands her well familiar enough to know he¡¯ll scold her for her foolishness first, then try to reassure the situation by thanking her. And she can¡¯t accept it, not after everything she did.

    ¡°Damn it¡­¡±

    Deborah mumbles. She is here for a reason, not repeating that reason is another reason of hers. One day, she¡¯ll have to confront him eventually, but until then, she needs to focus on her current task to reach the Aherin tribe, everything else is irrelevant.

    With her resolve hardened, Deborah decides to put the ring back to her pocket and prepares to sleep. But at that very moment, her hunger strikes. Deborah feels her arms weaken from her growling stomach. And in a moment of carelessness, the golden ring slips away from Deborah¡¯s hand and rolls itself to edge of the cliff, before falling down to the darkness underneath.

    ¡°No no no no no no!¡±

    Deborah hurriedly takes off and runs after the ring. With no hesitation, Deborah jumps off the cliff without any regard to the height. Lucky for her, the bottom is only about three meters deep, Deborah has no difficulty landing on the ground. The clinking sound of the rolling golden ring stops, it means it is somewhere in this dark bottom of the cliff. Deborah thinks this is a pain, but at the very least, the ring isn¡¯t lost to the dark. Even though her eyes can still see in the dark, Deborah finds it more familiar to have a fire by her side to light the way. With a ball of fire hovering on her hand, Deborah starts her search for the golden ring entrusted to her, her remaining link to the world she left behind.

    It doesn¡¯t take long to find a shiny ring with the help of fire in the dark. It is sitting there waiting for Deborah to pick it up, which she did and quickly put it into her pocket for safekeeping.

    That¡¯s one thing done¡­

    The other is to climb back to the cliff above, which isn¡¯t that hard for Deborah.

    But Deborah suddenly finds herself a company, in the form of a wild boar charging at her with full speed.

    ¡°Ahhh!¡±

    Its sudden appearance doesn¡¯t give Deborah any window of time to dodge or retaliate, and she finds her stomach being pierced by its tusks. The sheer size of its tusks is roughly the same as a broadsword, that alone speaks volume about the black furred boar¡¯s own size.

    Having Deborah¡¯s stomach pierced and makes her vomit blood don¡¯t seem to be enough for the wild monster boar, it runs away on all four and rams Deborah¡¯s back into the bottom of the cliff. The more it rams her to the stone walls, the more the tusks sink deeper into her stomach, until it fully pierces through her hardened flesh and sticks the edge out through her back, leaving blood flowing out of her mouth like a river. But it does not stop, the wild monster boar has no intention to stop when there is still some life in Deborah¡¯s breath.

    And the boar¡¯s failure to kill Deborah will become its own undoing, like many who tried the same before it.

    ¡°WILL YOU KNOCK IT OFF!?¡±

    Fueled by pain and anger, Deborah throws a punch at the boar¡¯s head with all her strength. The punch instantly crushes the boar¡¯s skull, killing it without giving it the time to feel its impending doom. The monster boar falls down, its corpse lays there twitching before rigor mortis eventually kicks in. With a swift hand chop, Deborah breaks the boar¡¯s tusks and escapes from the fallen boar¡¯s grip of her. When she manages to stand up, Deborah pulls out the remaining tusk stuck inside her abdomen and throws it away. Blood flows out of her wound like a fountain, but eventually, Deborah¡¯s body heals itself like everytime she is injured, with a fire mending the pierced hole back to normal, revealing the Dark Seal marking her as Anul¡¯s chosen on where her bellybutton should be.

    ¡°I guess dinner is taken care of.¡±

    While she is angry about the sudden attack, the boar¡¯s appearance and death has ended her search for food to fill her stomach. She doesn¡¯t like killing it, but it was rightful self-defend, there isn¡¯t anything else she can do about it. Leaving the corpse here to rot would be wasteful, she can make better use of it as food to sustain herself.

    ¡°There we go¡­¡±

    With the support of her strength, Deborah carries the boar on her back. It will be a pain to bring something this big along with her on the road to climb back, but it¡¯s not something Deborah can¡¯t handle. Physical problems are easy to solve, social problems however are a pain to deal with, and ever since her familiar¡¯s summoning, they only start to stack up more and more. But leaving that aside, the only desire Deborah wants right now is to have her fill with this boar.

    But on the road back to the cliff, Deborah encounters another set of problem. Two monster boars, with the same black fur and huge tusks. The only problem is¡­

    ...they are piglets. Small and ignorant of the cruel reality in front of them. They oink at Deborah, as if asking why their mother is lying on her back motionlessly like a dead corpse. Deborah takes a quick look around and finds a small cave enough to be the nest for a family of boars. Only then does she understand everything.

    It was trying to protect its territory¡­

    Deborah¡¯s presence in the bottom of the cliff threatened the mother boar, which prompted it to assault her in surprise before she can bring harm to its children. It¡¯s simple enough, but Deborah realized it too late, even though the circumstance doesn¡¯t allow her to have an understanding. But if Deborah didn¡¯t let her anger control her, then maybe¡­

    ¡°...¡±

    Deborah stays silent and brings the mother boar¡¯s corpse along with her, leaving the piglets behind in the bottom of the cliff. Following the animal trail likely used by the boars, Deborah makes it to her camp site. She puts the boar down, and proceeds to skin the boar. She have read some instructions on preparing wild animals for cooking before, so while she isn¡¯t confident of her skill, at the very least she knows the basic of what to do. When the meat is prepared, she roasts it by the camp fire, and waits until the meat is well done¡­

    ...all while tears are flowing down from her eyes. Consider that she just killed a mother of two, drags her away and makes her the killer¡¯s food, while the children are left to fend for themselves and subjected to the mercy of nature. That thought alone makes Deborah scared of herself. She looks at her hands, dirtied from all the preparations made for the cooking, with the smell of the boar¡¯s blood still lingers in her fingers. Deborah understands this is how her hands truly look like, bloodied from the dreams and hopes she broke from those whom she killed, and she killed a lot, and will do it a lot more in the future as it is something inevitable. That is her destiny, that is her nature, and she can¡¯t escape it, even when she is exiled to the middle of nowhere.

    And the only thing Deborah knows is to accept it, and keep moving forward, even with the blood trail she leaves behind in her wake. Because the young dragon doesn¡¯t know anything better.

    The meat becomes charred when Deborah still falls deep in thought. By the time Deborah realizes it, the boar meat is already past the well done stage. Deborah prefer her meat well done, but this piece of meat has already past the edible state.

    But nonetheless, Deborah takes a bite and chews the meat off. It doesn¡¯t matter how bad it is, Deborah still has to eat them all. Because this is her responsibilty, and because she doesn¡¯t want to see another life wasted because of her. To give the boar¡¯s death a meaning, she will eat all of it, to make the boar becomes her strength and stamina, to fuel Deborah for the upcoming tomorrow. That is the least she can do to make a meaning out of this charade.

    The long night ended, and dawn arrives. When she is awake from her sleep, the first thing she does is to reach the bottom of the cliff once again. The boar¡¯s nest is still there, with the piglets still healthy for the time being. Deborah has no malicious intention with the piglets, but she feels some sort of responsibility for the thing she caused to their mother.

    And so, Deborah chants a spell. Soul energy gathers, and together with the ancient words coming out of her mouth, Deborah conjures a barrier blocking the entrance to the piglets¡¯ nest. It will allow the piglets to come and go without any reservation, but it will block the path of any other predators intending to feast on the flesh of the young boars. Deborah can¡¯t stay to make sure they survive, the only thing she can do right now is to offer them some protection, and leave the rest for the law of nature, the survival of the fittest.

    "It''s all up to you guys now..."

    Deborah turns her back to the boar¡¯s nest, and continues on her journey to reach the Great Steppe, where the Aherin tribe awaits.

 Chapter 57: The Great Steppe

    A hand grabs on a high cliff¡¯s edge, and with her strength, the girl throws herself to the sky and lands on the greensward of the Great Steppe.

    ¡°Finally.¡±

    Deborah mumbles as she lays her eyes upon the vast scenery of the Great Steppe of Suntos, spanning almost one third of this continent according to the map. A neverending field of grass that stretches to the end of the horizon, without any sight of trees and forests. The windy weather gives this empty land a bit of life, but there is no sign of living animals in what Deborah can see.

    Well, it is Winter.

    It¡¯s only natural for lives in the North to head South in order to escape the Winter cold. Although while the grass is still green, and there is zero probability for the sky to snow, the wind itself has already carried the coldness of Winter along with it. That is enough for animals to make their southward journey, the same applies for the Beastmaster nomadic tribes, whose livelihood depends on their animal companions. The only exception, for some reason, is the Aherin tribe, who never head South even during Winter. They stay mostly in the Northern region of the Great Steppe, and only head to the central steppe when the weather becomes too unbearable, but never further than that¡­at least according to the notes on Nilrem¡¯s map.

    From Deborah¡¯s position on the map, the Aherin tribe would camp southeast from here, near the mountain range leading to the Arahas desert in the northeast. After calculating the distance, Deborah assumes it will take about a day travel to their camping site, but with the energy she got from eating the mother boar, if Deborah goes full speed with her legs, it won¡¯t take more than half a day.

    The sooner the better.

    Deborah doesn¡¯t want to waste more time, if she does, who knows what tragedy would befall to things around her from her mere presence alone? No more! Deborah no longer wants to be the cause of pain and suffering for others. That¡¯s the more reason for her to quickly seek the guidance of the Aherin tribe.

    With all her strength in her legs, Deborah runs toward the endless steppe. The wind attacks her as she amps up her speed to surpass even the fastest horse, but not once does she yield to the force of nature. Flying grass and dirt combined together to form a huge cloud behind the trail left by Deborah¡¯s charge, almost making the female dragon look like a living tornado. When she has the momentum on her side, nothing sort of another dragon can make her stop her run.

    It doesn¡¯t take long for Deborah to reach halfway from her destination in the span of an hour of restless running. The run is uneventful, the empty environment without any animals around helps. Deborah is actually grateful for this, as it means there won¡¯t be a need for her to cause more troubles than needed.

    But it seems like it won¡¯t be necessary for Deborah to cause troubles, because troubles seem to know how to find her instead as three horse riders come out of their hiding place in the blind spot of the hills around. All three riders approach the running Deborah with their horse barely catching up, but Deborah isn¡¯t ignorant enough to speed up and run away from her pursuers. With a quick glance, she realizes these people are nomads, thanks to their nomadic clothing that she saw once from the brave swordsman whom she defeated. They have bows strapped on the back, and the same type of curved swords like the one used by her enemy, but they are currently inside the sheath attached to their horses. It¡¯s unknown whether they are hostile or not, but for the moment it doesn¡¯t seem like they intend to attack her.

    Maybe they are members of the Aherin tribe.

    Deborah halts her track. The momentum still drags her on the path for a good ten meters before she finally stops her run, leaving behind a trail of messed up dirt and grass. Deborah quickly finds herself surrounded by the ominous riders, but they have yet to draw their weapons. The leader of the three riders is a man in his early thirty. When they finally get her trapped inside the circle made by three horses, the leader speaks.

    -Stranger, state your busine¡­wait, that seal on your stomach¡­a Dark Seal!

    It¡¯s strange for someone to begin their greeting by a remark on the other¡¯s stomach, but seeing as they won¡¯t talk like that without a reason, Deborah decides to follow through with it and looks back at her stomach. What she finds is a hole on her shirt, not enough to reveal what she¡¯s hiding behind her clothes, but it is still revealing enough to point out to the dark seal of Anul on where her bellybutton ought to be.

    That place, the same place the boar stabbed me with her tusks¡­

    -Only Anul¡¯s chosen can bear the Dark Seal according to legend. That means you hail from Eostre continent, the demons¡¯ continent!

    The lead rider draws his curved sword out of its sheath, and quickly followed by his fellow riders.

    -Wait, this is a misunderstanding! There¡¯s no need for violence! I can explain!

    Deborah yells back at the riders using the common tongue of humans. She understands what they said, and she¡¯s sure it is mutual on their end, but the riders have no intention to back off, even when Deborah tries to negotiate to no avail.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    -First bandits, now demons! I have enough!

    The lead rider charges at Deborah with his sword raised. The horse moves like a part of his body. The rider and horse rush at Deborah in unison, and throws a slash aiming at her head. But Deborah is already prepared the moment they drew their swords, she dodges by dashing backward. But the other riders aren¡¯t there just for show. One of them takes advantage of her blind spot and gives Deborah a slash on the back.

    -Arghh!

    Deborah groans. To her, a wound like this is but a scratch, still, her body still knows pain. A bit of her bare and silky white back is revealed from the slash, with her red blood flowing down from her wound. But a fire quickly emerges from the cut and mends itself back, quickly returning her back to its former beauty.

    -What in the world¡­!?

    The three riders are in awe before Deborah¡¯s healing powers, giving Deborah enough time to exploit their mistake and runs away before their eyes with the fastest speed she can muster. If they are real nomads of the Aherin tribe, then staying here to be attacked by them will prove counterproductive. Certainly Deborah understands it¡¯s best not to cause any grudge before asking someone for a favor, but sadly the three riders can¡¯t see her as anything but an intruder to their land.

    -She¡¯s getting away! After her!

    The lead rider yells, and just as he commanded, all three of them follow after the running Deborah. Deborah¡¯s own running speed is fast, but the riders¡¯ horses prove to be faster than she expects. Deborah lacks the momentum to achieve the top speed she can muster, but the horses are already halfway from catching up to her. Their sprinting speed is abnormally fast for normal horses, and while Deborah herself isn¡¯t an expert on horses, she understands this type of horse surely can only be bred and rode by the Aherin tribe, the beastmasters of horses.

    The horses have nearly caught up to Deborah, but Deborah starts to regain her momentum, running further away from the range of their sword. But the riders have another trick up their sleeves. They sheathe their swords and draw out their bows. Even when riding in high speed, the riders have no trouble aiming their bow and drawing their arrows. As soon as they find the perfect spot, the riders unleash their arrows.

    -Ughh!

    Three arrows find their mark in Deborah¡¯s back. Deborah¡¯s hardened skin proves too tough for the arrows to penetrate, but still they manage to do some damage before her body¡¯s regeneration power pushes the tips of the arrows out of her back. Nonetheless, the arrows prove annoying enough to slow her down a bit, just as the riders intended. And thus, they continue their ¡°hunt¡±, with Deborah as their prey. Deborah manages to dodge some of their incoming arrows, but the pauses between her dodging have seriously hindered her running speed, enough for the riders to almost catching up with her. It won¡¯t take long until their blades reach her flesh once again.

    I have enough of this!

    And true to her thought, Deborah sudden turns back from running away and heads straight toward her pursuers, only seconds away from clashing into each other. Deborah has her own sense of pride, and being hunted down like a dog doesn¡¯t sit right with her. Slit pupils appear on her eyes, as well as her fangs laying bare. Before the lead rider¡¯s horse rams into her, Deborah holds out her arms and tackles the horse. The sudden clash sends the rider flying, while Deborah still has her feet held firm on the grassland, with the horse hovering on the air, being kept that way by Deborah¡¯s powerful embrace. The impact probably hurts the horse somewhat, but it still draws breath as Deborah lets it go of her arms. All of this happens as the remaining riders watch in awe, almost forgetting their mission for a moment.

    -Enough is enough! I don¡¯t want to fight. But if it¡¯s a fight you want, then come!

    To further proves her act of intimidation, Deborah¡¯s arms quickly cover themselves in red scales, furthering emphasize the image of a living female dragon, if they even know she is one. But the impression is already enough to make the riders hesitate. Their horses are startled and try to walk away from the dragon girl despite them being well bred and trained, not to mention being rode by their chosen companion. Nonetheless, it seems like her bluff works, and the other two riders no longer have the intention to test out her claws firsthand.

    Deborah turns her gaze to the lead rider. He has already stood up from the fall, but from the lack of fighting will of his companions, the man can only watch as the situation develops in the way Deborah wants it. But he has yet to give up. The man pulls out a whistle from the pocket of his nomad clothing. With all the strength of his breath, he blows the whistle. The sound is similar to the noise of an angered horse, but it does nothing magical after the rider is finished. Is it a simply a bluff? Deborah thinks. But the answer quickly reveals itself.

    Deborah hears the sound of galloping horses. From afar, a group of riders reveal themselves out of nearby hill. Their number is roughly thirty, but all of them look like well-trained riders. They wear the same nomadic clothing as her own pursuers, it isn¡¯t hard to make them out as the riders¡¯ tribemates, and seeing the sight of an unknown stranger threatening their kin prompt them to do the most obvious thing to do in this situation.

    All thirty horsemen draw their weapons and charge at Deborah in a spearhead formation. Knowing they will get in the way, Deborah¡¯s former pursuers pick the better choice to flee the scene, leaving the fighting to their reinforcement. The oncoming riders charge at Deborah like a waterfall, no matter what she¡¯ll do, this won¡¯t end without someone shredding blood. A sweat drops down from Deborah¡¯s cheek as she clenches her fists in preparation for battle.

    But a miracle happens. Someone blows another whistle, and the sound makes the oncoming riders split themselves into two groups before the clash with Deborah. They are circling around her, but none attacks despite having already drawn their weapons. Nevertheless, they don¡¯t seem to have the intention to let Deborah go peacefully.

    The riders however aren¡¯t currently her concern. Her attention is now focused upon the one who blew the whistle that stopped the riders from bloodshed. That person is standing on the nearest hill around, riding a black but old horse, just as old as its rider - the wrinkled woman in nomadic clothing and a turban covering her head. Yet it is unwise to judge this old woman from her aged looks, as she commanded the riders to stop their attack in a single blow of whistle.

    -Are you Deborah Draconis?

    Yells the woman on the top of the hill.

    -I am!

    Deborah yells back to reply.

    -I am the chief of the Aherin tribe. I have been expecting you, daughter of dragons.

 Chapter 58: The Aherin tribe

    It takes an hour for Deborah and her ¡°escorts¡± to reach her intended destination: the Aherin tribe¡¯s village. Not a pleasant journey if Deborah must make a comment, especially when she is met with dagger-filled gazes from the other riders for the duration of their journey together, and contributes into that is Deborah¡¯s inability to ride without startling her horse, forcing her to walk all the way back to their village. An action like that isn¡¯t any different than spitting on their good will, and certainly doesn¡¯t help her fix her already low impression in the eyes of the riders.

    It can¡¯t get any worse than this, can¡¯t it?

    Deborah can only pray internally as she walks through the guards standing in front of the village¡¯s entrance.

    -Welcome back, chief Nephele!

    A passing by tribesman bows his head in respect of the elderly chieftain leading the group, which is replied by a silent nod from Nephele. No spoken words, yet Deborah can see a bright smile on the tribesman¡¯s face as he walks away to do his own things.

    So this is their village, a beastmaster¡¯s village.

    Before Deborah¡¯s eyes is a mountain range, not too huge, but still big enough to makes her feel insignificant. The village is located at its foot, in a place protected by hills and rocks of the mountain, providing a perfect tactical advantage for the tribesmen to defend their home. It wouldn¡¯t be a situation where their riding skills are put to good use, but certainly would be a deadly shooting range for their archers to show their worth. According to the map, the village¡¯s location is located near the entrance to the roads leading to the Merchant City of Aurum in the North-West. Deborah guesses it would make trading easier for the tribe, especially during Winter where they might need more goods in case of emergency.

    Even when near the foot of a mountain range, the grassland is still prevalent here, and thus the tribesmen built their yurts around the place. The village is packed with tribesmen and women, Deborah can roughly count about a hundred of them, more so if she includes the riders accompanying her. The village is brimming with life, the men are busy tending herds of horses, while the women are doing¡­womanly things, like doing the laundry or preparing meals, leaving their children to play with each other, waiting for time to pass. Deborah has read about things like this in her books, but this is the first time she has a chance to witness the daily life of the people beyond her castle¡¯s walls. Something so ordinary, yet so strange.

    For beastmasters, they are surprisingly¡­normal.

    Following the lead of their chieftain, the group arrives at the biggest yurt in the center of the village. It doesn¡¯t take a genius to know this is the chief¡¯s yurt, as it¡¯s not only bigger than others in size but also fancier, with heavy decorations on the felt used to set up the yurt. Of course, the guards at its entrance only make it more obvious.

    The chief dismounts from her old black horse, she pets the old horse on the head before letting a guard lead it away, presumably to a stable or something for rest. All of this without a single word uttered from anyone.

    Not a very talkative people, I see.

    As Deborah still stands in awe of the new experience, the chief Nephele approaches the young girl and¡­sniffs her clothing.

    -You stink.

    -¡­Excuse me?

    Deborah is dazzled by the sudden comment, and she can¡¯t help but secretly sniff her clothing to actually confirm the chief¡¯s words.

    -When was the last time you took a bath?

    -I¡­don¡¯t remember. I was in a coma for an unknown period of time, and when I woke up, I rushed here as fast as I could.

    She conveniently forgets to mention how she found no perfect spot for a bath. Of course, aside from being a dragon, Deborah is also a maiden, and a maiden doesn¡¯t take a bath in a river in the open in broad daylight. To counter the hygiene problem, Deborah casted several refreshment spells to ward off the smell she gathered by the days, but of course, magic isn¡¯t the answer for everything as Deborah just found out.

    -It doesn¡¯t matter. Keeping you like this long enough and people will forget we are the actual savages here.

    With a finger snap, two young girls appear from inside of the chief¡¯s tent. Reading from the sign of the chief¡¯s hand, the two of them understand her order immediately and proceed to drag Deborah away the group with no difficulty.

    -Hey hey wait a minute!

    Despite her protest, Deborah willingly follows the maids serving the chief. She understands enough basic courtesy to know it¡¯s not very courteous to show up for business when you stink like a rat. And of course, her ravaged clothing certainly doesn¡¯t help her already low image. The girls lead her to the back of the village, in a seclude location near the mountain range, with a small waterfall flowing down making a pond. There isn¡¯t anyone else at the moment, but the presence of shampoo and other bathing products makes it clear this is the village¡¯s bathing place.

    -Please allow us.

    Before Deborah has a chance to react, the two nomad girls have already stripped her clothes faster than she can even retaliate. When Deborah starts to cover naked body in embarrassment, the two girls just stand there, with one holding her tattered clothing, the other with Nilrem¡¯s letter, map and the Ring of Thought Transference. In unison, the two of them bow and leave without saying any other words.

    -They¡¯re fast¡­

    Deborah mutters as she stands alone in the bathing place. This place keeps surprise her again and again. But just standing here alone won¡¯t be of use to anyone, especially when naked. Thus, Deborah approaches the pond and takes a shower under the waterfall. When washing alone isn¡¯t enough, Deborah decides to try out the shampoo available nearby.

    Judging from the smell, it¡¯s herbal.

    It is possible to make this from the herbs found in the Elowen forest. Though Deborah cares less about its component and more about its effect. With a little bit of shampoo, Deborah washes her long red hair under the waterfall.

    It smells nice¡­

    Shampoo and soap are the last things Deborah expects for a nomadic tribe to possess. This is just the beginning of her meeting with this tribe, and she¡¯s already feel at awe. The talk has yet to begin, and Deborah now fears for it like an unprepared schoolgirl afraids of tomorrow¡¯s test.

    Anyhow, I don¡¯t want to run away again.

    When she is done, Deborah approaches the entrance of the bathing place. There¡¯s already a neatly folded towel waiting for her in a straw basket, along with a set of clothing. Not her clothes, but the clothes of the Aherin tribe. Her belongings are nearby, so Deborah¡¯s worry is now set on how to wear this kind of exotic clothing.

    -Allow me.

    Says one of the girl who accompanied her to the bathing place. The other one isn¡¯t present, probably because it only takes one of them to cater to their guest¡¯s need. The girl skillfully helps Deborah wear their tribe¡¯s clothing. The clothes themselves aren¡¯t anything special aside from their exotic design, but they have layers, and Deborah needs the maid¡¯s help to put them on. Deborah feels the girl managed to catch a glimpse at the Dark Seal on her stomach, but the girl stays silent nonetheless. Deborah is their guest the moment she set foot in this village, it¡¯s not a maid¡¯s job to doubt or fear their guest, but to help them with their needs.

    -Finally, thank you.

    After the maid is finished, Deborah twirls around to get a feel of her new clothing. Her first impression is it¡¯s warm, if not a bit hot, thanks to the layers of the clothes. The other impression is it¡¯s beautiful thanks to skillful embroidery, it¡¯s colorful and also exotic. Deborah prefers simple clothes, but it¡¯s feel nice to be fancy once in a while.

    -We¡¯re not done yet, Miss.

    It turns out there¡¯s still headwear to take care of, but Deborah stays still for the maid to do her job instead of making a fuss. It¡¯s not like she¡¯s interested in trying new clothes or anything, she just doesn¡¯t want to waste more time than needed, and making a scene would cost her more time than simply obey. The headwear the girl prepared is more of a simple headdress, made from beads and connected to an amulet-like emblem. She puts them on over Deborah¡¯s head with Deborah kneeling down thanks to her height. Now her head feels like a fancy fishing net, but she simply can¡¯t say that out loud.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    Still, it¡¯s beautiful.

    When the maid is finally done, Deborah follows after her to meet the chief for real this time. On the road, Deborah is met with the gazes of the tribe members. They seem curious of why there¡¯s a foreigner wearing their traditional clothing walking around in their village. The gazes while subtle are still intense, and Deborah can do naught but blushes and lowers her head in embarrassment.

    -We are here, if you please excuse me.

    The maid quickly leaves when the two of them reach the biggest yurt in the village. Deborah quickly enters before she causes a scene.

    -Now that¡¯s better.

    Says the chief, who¡¯s sitting on a comfortable cotton mat while smoking something from a wooden pipe. While the yurt itself is big, Deborah feels it¡¯s smaller inside when she actually sees it with her eyes. But even so, Deborah can feel a strange warmth from the interior¡¯s decoration. Tapestries lining up on the wall, a simple iron pot for tea in the middle, and the straw carpet to make daily life more comfortable. Of course, things in this yurt looks flammable, Deborah best be careful when she¡¯s inside. Doesn¡¯t want to cause more troubles, after all.

    -Come in, don¡¯t just stand there. Aren¡¯t you here to meet and talk with me?

    -Right, my apology.

    Seeing as the chief herself is barefoot, Deborah decides to put her straw shoes away before setting her foot onto the straw carpet. Since there¡¯s a sitting mat on the opposite of the chief, Deborah sits onto to it and waits for the chief¡¯s response.

    -I believe we haven¡¯t properly introduced ourselves. My name is Nephele, chieftain of the Aherin tribe. You may wonder whether or not I have a last name, so I may as well answer it. I was born a member of the Aherin tribe, and when I die, I¡¯ll die as a member of the Aherin tribe. You could say my last name is Aherin itself. In your custom, my name would be Nephele Aherin. Isn¡¯t that amusing?

    The elderly woman laughs, Deborah certainly doesn¡¯t expect such hospitality from people who drew their swords against her. Regardless, Deborah lets out a relaxed sigh, knowing she is safe for the time being.

    -Thank you for your hospitality, chief Nephele. My name is Deborah Draconis, I came here from the Eostre continent in order to seek your aid in a private matter. The detail is inside this letter, written by your acquaintance Nilrem Erramun.

    Deborah hands Nilrem¡¯s envelope over to the chief, she quickly tears the envelope apart to read the content inside.

    -If I may ask¡­in that moment in the steppe¡­how did you know my name?

    And what I am¡­

    -Simple, because I received a letter with the same content as this one one week prior. I could say this is the exact copy of what I received.

    Deborah is dazzled for a moment. It feels like she just got pranked by her guardian once again.

    -Still the resourceful woman I knew. She gave you this in case the letter she sent me failed to reach my hands.

    -How did you become acquainted with Nilrem? I can¡¯t see her as someone who would go out of our castle walls to embark on an adventure.

    -But she did.

    Nephele pauses for a moment to smoke before continuing.

    -Fifty years ago, she came to the Suntos continent in search of the ruins of an ancient kingdom in the South. By that time, our tribe was in the Southern region as we fled the Winter cold. But we found ourselves contracting a strange disease in the South. Our herbalists did our best, but nonetheless they failed to save half the tribe from death, while the other half awaited their turn to join our ancestors. I luckily wasn¡¯t infected, but seeing my beloved tribe on the brink of destruction was more painful than anything a disease can cause.

    Nephele falls silent. This doesn¡¯t seem to be a pleasant topic to talk about, and now Deborah starts to regret asking in the first place.

    -Then Nilrem came. We were distrust of her at first, as we always did for magic and its practitioners. Nonetheless, she cured the disease in our remaining survivors, regardless of the previous chief¡¯s wish. The previous chief demanded the witch to be killed for bringing magic to the tribe, blinded to the fact the same witch saved our tribe from a disease we failed to fight. And so, with my blade, I stabbed him in the back, and took leadership of our tribe to flee away from the South. I told Nilrem the Aherin tribe owe her a great debt, and should she ask of us, we will repay that debt in every way we can.

    The chief takes another sip at the smoking pipe before she ends her story.

    -Whatever Nilrem did at that ruin, it ended the deadly disease as there weren¡¯t any other cases of it happening to other tribes heading southward from then on. Nevertheless, the Aherin tribe chose to remain in the North, and learned to survive through the Winter and many other dangers. We owe your headmaster a great debt, if this is what she asks in return, then we will gladly accept the task.

    -Thanks¡­I guess¡­

    Nilrem is no friend of hers, Deborah is aware of that. Still, there¡¯re a lot of things she has yet to know about her legal guardian. While her own issue is her current priority, Deborah feels like having a chat with her guardian when she¡¯ll eventually return to that castle.

    -That being said, while I accepted to help you train for your problem, you certainly doesn¡¯t look like a flame dragon that caused untold death and destruction during the siege of Melas.

    Deborah feels like there¡¯s an arrow in her heart when the chief brings up her previously deed in that way. But of course, Deborah knows this is inevitable. If she wants the chief to help her, the chief needs to know about the terrible things she did during her berserk moments.

    -My look doesn¡¯t matter¡­it doesn¡¯t change what I did¡­

    -So it would seem.

    Nephele bluntly replies.

    -Tell me, Deborah of Melas castle. What did you feel when you unleashed your powers upon your enemy during that siege? Did your blood boil as you crush their skulls? Did your heart race as your fire burn the humans opposing you to ashes?

    -Terrible¡­I feel¡­terrible. I don¡¯t want something like that to happen again. I¡¯ve caused enough death already. I told people I don¡¯t want to fight, but my voice never reached them. I always found myself being forced to partake in violence, and whenever I indulge in them, bad things always happen.

    -But I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a part of you that want that very violence and destruction you denied. No matter what you may say, the urge to fight and destroy exists within you. It¡¯s in your blood, in your very being, your very existence.

    -No, they don¡¯t!

    Deborah yells out loud, but she quickly restrains her voice before people outside of the tent start to get suspicious.

    -Your actions told me another story.

    The elderly chieftain replies.

    -I saw the fight you had with my scouts today. You were right, you ran away to avoid the violence caused by the misunderstanding of my tribesmen. But when they started shooting arrows at you, you retaliated. The same applied to the other tribesmen that came to their aid, the first thing you did wasn¡¯t running away, nor trying to reason with them, you prepared your fists, expecting to battle my men. I find it ironic for someone who presumably hates violence were so quickly resorted to use violence.

    -I¡­I¡­

    Deborah can¡¯t find a proper word to say to the woman. She simply tried to defend herself during that time, Deborah doesn¡¯t think self-defense by itself is a crime. But considering the kind of creature she is, even if she let them, they wouldn¡¯t be able to kill her if she laid down her resistance. Yet, just like the chief said, she gave up trying to reason with them, she ran away, and when she was mad enough, Deborah quickly resorted to violence.

    -I know you are a dragon, I can feel that, but to me, you are more similar to a wild horse in the steppe. Docile when left alone, evasive in the sight of strangers, but dangerous when threatened. But¡­we are Equidae beastmasters, taming horses is our specialty. Our rite of adulthood is for one to tame a wild horse in the steppe to be their companion by their lonesome. In a sense, I¡¯m starting to understand why Nilrem asked of us with this task.

    Deborah keeps her silence, unable to come up with something to reply. And thus, Nephele continues the conversation.

    -For the time being, you should rest. I¡¯ll think of something to deal with your situation. I¡¯ll let you know by tomorrow morning. My guard will lead you to the guest¡¯s yurt. Rest for the night, tomorrow is going to be a long day for you.

    -I understand¡­thank you for your hospitality.

    Deborah nods and stands up. In the end, she fails to say anything relevant. But at least things are starting to look better for her.

    They are beautiful.

    Before she leaves, Deborah gives a closer look to the tapestries inside the yurt. They are very well made, fine pieces of art, even for someone who knows nothing about paintings like Deborah. On a closer look though, Deborah finds out they are more than pretty pictures, they are practically pictures of things that happened in the chief¡¯s life. Her childhood, her teenage times, her marriage, her spouse¡¯s death by disease, her growing old¡­and ends with a tapestry of the chieftain riding on the horse with a young man riding another horse nearby.

    A young nomadic man, with a very familiar face that Deborah knows.

    -Chief Nephele¡­who is this man?

    -That was my grandson Gust.

    Gust. A name that brings pain to her now non-existence heart. An insignificant name, a name like many other names, but the worst name to come up in this place and at this time. The name of the fake Origen, the name of the man who rallied the human soldiers to fight against Deborah once again¡­

    ¡­and also the name of the man she killed for their clashing duties.

    -Your grandson¡­Gust?

    -He left the tribe two years ago when his companion horse died of illness, said he would become a mercenary or something. And he died because of it, a nameless corpse among the rank and file in the siege of Melas. I received the news of his death last week, by a letter from his mercenary company. Incidentally I received Nilrem¡¯s letter of request right after. Funny. Was he someone you know?

    Deborah starts sweating, she dares not to face Nephele eye to eye. If she does, she afraids the chief will realize she¡¯s talking with her grandson¡¯s murderer from the start.

    -Anyhow, my grandson¡¯s death doesn¡¯t concern you. Have a good night rest, Deborah Draconis, daughter of dragons.

 Chapter 59: The Arahas desert

    The yurt reserved for Deborah¡¯s lodging is located at the far side of the village. Close, but the distance between them is notable. Deborah knows its purpose is to keep the silence for their guest to rest, but she can¡¯t help but feel like she¡¯s staying away from the tribesmen for their own safety. The yurt is comfortable enough and can withstand the wind and the cold outside, but it¡¯s rather bland with no noticeable decorations. There also isn¡¯t any bed, but rather a cloth mattress and a simple pillow, enough to comfortably spend night in the steppe. A rather fitting place for her, since Deborah herself doesn¡¯t expect to be treated like a King, or rather Queen in her case.

    Still, her foremost worry isn¡¯t about a place to sleep. But rather¡­

    Of all the people, it was her grandson that I killed¡­

    Sitting alone in the corner, Deborah stares at her bare arms, washed clean with herbal soap, yet somehow the scent of blood still lingers on them. Deborah thinks it¡¯s just her imagination since the sweet aroma of soap is still there, but she can¡¯t keep her head away from the bloodshed she caused with these very two hands.

    It was because of duty, it was because she has to, it was because they gave her no choices. That¡¯s what Deborah keeps telling herself to make her move forward, but when the combat high fades away, all that¡¯s left is simply guilt. When there¡¯s no enemy threatening her home, when there¡¯s no wild animals blocking her path, when there¡¯s no horsemen chasing after her for being what she is, when there is nothing to keep her body and mind busy, that¡¯s when it emerges itself from the depth of her consciousness, to torment her, to torture her in ways weapons and magic cannot.

    If all I can do is destroy, then why gives me the conscience to feel guilt?

    Deborah lies her head onto her arms as she sits there and cries in silent. But her brooding time is quickly cut short as there is the sound of footsteps from outside approaching her yurt.

    -Are you still awake, Miss? Can I come in?

    Deborah quickly wipes the tears off her eyes as she replies.

    -Yes, please do.

    The person outside passes through the piece of cloth covering the entrance to the guest¡¯s yurt. She is the same maid who helped Deborah with her clothing earlier today. From a quick glimpse of the outside, seems like it¡¯s already nightfall. The maid girl is carrying along with her a wooden bowl on top of a wooden tray. There¡¯s a bit of steam radiating from the wooden bowl, and of course, the fragrance of food is present as well.

    -A bit dark in here, isn¡¯t it?

    Says the maid as she touches the light crystal hanging down on the top of the yurt, thus brightening its interior.

    -You didn¡¯t show up for dinner, so the chief ordered me to bring this to you.

    Deborah¡¯s gaze turns to the wooden bowl the maid brought along with her. It looks like some sort of stew, with several vegetables mixed within it.

    -It¡¯s steppe goat stew. We don¡¯t know much about cuisine in the Eostre continent, so please forgive us if this doesn¡¯t fit your taste.

    Deborah lacks the will to reply. Her eyes are now fixated on the bowl of stew. After all that brooding, maybe a bit of food will make her feel better.

    -Thanks for the food.

    Deborah picks up the bowl along with a wooden spoon. The bowl is still hot, Deborah can feel the heat through the bowl, but she is still a fire dragon, the last one, this kind of heat doesn¡¯t pose a problem to her throat, thus there¡¯s no need for her to cool it down with her breath. Deborah uses the spoon and have a quick taste of the stew.

    And her eyes brighten like something just awakes within her.

    -It¡¯s very delicious!

    Says Deborah as she quickly chows down the bowl of goat stew like it¡¯s the best thing she ever ate in her life, which probably is, considering the kind of food served to the students at Melas. In a flash, the bowl of goat stew is emptied, even before the maid can have a chance to tell Deborah to slow down since the stew is still hot.

    -Can I have a second serving please!?

    The maid is stunned from Deborah¡¯s¡­enthusiasm. Only now does Deborah realizes how much of a scene she caused.

    -Oh¡­I¡¯m sorry¡­Where are my manners?

    -It¡¯s¡­okay. I¡¯m glad you enjoyed our food. I¡¯ll get a second serving right away.

    The maid takes away the bowl and spoon before she leaves. Deborah remains inside the yurt, still embarrassed about her rude table manner. Even so, the little charade earlier makes her feel a bit better than before. Good food sure does wonders to the mind. Still, Deborah is confused nonetheless, with how her emotion keeps going up and down in the span of a day, she doesn¡¯t know if she can keep holding her emotion in check. Enough traumatic things have happened in her life, maybe a good night rest after a second serving of delicious goat stew will help Deborah somewhat.

    But it seems like tonight is also going to be another long night.

    -Who¡¯s there? Show yourself.

    Deborah shouts as she senses the presence of someone outside of her yurt. If they are the maid earlier, they won¡¯t spend their time waiting outside. Are they spies, or someone being sent by the chief to keep her in check? Deborah makes many assumptions, but when the person in question, or rather people, reveal themselves by walking through the entrance, Deborah finds out all of her assumptions are incorrect.

    They are kids, three of them, two girls and one boy. When their presence is noticed by Deborah, they make no further attempt to hide and walk inside like bad children waiting to be scolded. All three of them look very young, barely ten years old.

    -You are¡­kids¡­

    The children don¡¯t reply to Deborah¡¯s obvious statement.

    -Why are you three eavesdropping in front of my lodging?

    The kids look at each other as if asking for one of them to take charge and answer their guest¡¯s question. Seeing as all three of them lack the courage to step up, the girl with braided hair among the kids speaks up her mind for the sake of all three.

    -Big sis¡­is it true you are a demon that hail from Eostre¡­like what the adults said about you?

    Now it¡¯s Deborah¡¯s turn to be confused. She certainly does not expect something like that from the mouth of an innocent young girl of the steppe. Deborah can only guess that¡¯s the curiosity of youth. Answering their question is¡­tough for her. Technically, Deborah is a demon, as the term was created to describe any race affiliated with the Demon Realm. But then again, what would the kids react if Deborah straight out tell them she¡¯s a demon? Would they scream in terror when being confronted by the monster who eat bad children like them for dinner? As amusing as it would turn out, Deborah doesn¡¯t want to worsen her already bad reputation among the tribesmen.

    -Yes¡­

    -Really!?

    The kids suddenly rush by Deborah¡¯s side with glittering eyes, with no hint of fear hidden within them. Certainly this isn¡¯t the reaction Deborah expects. Doesn¡¯t seem like revealing herself as a demon would scare the kids, on the contrary, it only deepens their curiosity in her and her origin.

    -What does it feel like living in the demon¡¯s continent!?

    The other girl with a short haircut asks.

    -It¡¯s¡­cold, and it¡¯s snowing most of the time. Even when it¡¯s not snowing, the land is mostly barren and withered, though I rarely leave the castle to know what it actually is in the rest of the continent.

    -You live in a castle!? AWESOME!

    The boy yells in excitement. He yells too loud, enough for the approaching maid outside to notice the kids¡¯ presence in the guest¡¯s yurt.

    -What are you kids doing here? Isn¡¯t it supposed to be your bedtime!?

    The moment the maid comes inside with another bowl of stew on her tray, all the kids rush at her side and start¡­nagging the poor girl like children throwing tantrum. Well, they are children¡­

    -Big sis, please let us stay to hear more stories about the demons!

    -Please please please please!?

    -No you can¡¯t! You¡¯ll disturb our guest! If this keeps up, I¡¯ll tell your parents about this!

    The maid replies, which destroys the kids¡¯ enthusiasm and turns their cheerful smiles into frowned faces. Seems like they can¡¯t go against the words of a grown-up, as expected.

    -It¡¯s fine, I don¡¯t mind.

    Suddenly, Deborah speaks her decision, something the maid doesn¡¯t expect the tribe¡¯s guest to say.

    -Are you sure? These kids are also demons in a sense.

    Deborah simply nods to reply the maid. The explanation for her decision is very simple: she doesn¡¯t want to be alone right now. If left alone in the dark, Deborah is afraid all the guilt and pressure in her mind will crush her completely. For once, she wants to keep herself busy in the night, instead of returning to her nightmares in her sleep.

    -If you wish so.

    The maid nods in response, then she turns to the kids for some warning, along with a glare cold as ice.

    -Please behave yourselves in front of our guest.

    -Y-Yes!

    Say all three in unison. Later on, the maid gives Deborah the second serving she asked for and quietly leaves the yurt. Now, there¡¯s only her, the kids and the bowl of goat stew inside the yurt.

    -So, what do you want to ask about?

    The three kids look at each other, waiting for the other one to take their turn to ask. This time, the short haired girl is the one who takes the initiative.

    -What are the demons? The adults said demons have black horns, their skins are red and they also have tails, they also have wings and can breathe fire! My dad also said they eat bad children who stay up late at night!

    -Hey¡­what if she told us to stay here just so she can eat us in secret¡­?

    The boy whispers to the ears of the girls sitting next to him. Sweat starts to drop down from their cheeks as they subtly try to sit far away from Deborah as possible, which only prompts an awkward smile on the dragon girl¡¯s face.

    -Haha¡­even I don¡¯t eat children...

    Though adults however might be a different matter¡­considering the experience she had during her rampage at Melas. Just thinking about what she did makes her feel nauseous already.

    -Why would you ask something like that?

    Deborah asks the short-haired girl in an attempt to divert her mind away from those unpleasant memories.

    -Because big sis don¡¯t look like a demon to me. You look human, like us. You don¡¯t have horns, your skin isn¡¯t red, and you don¡¯t breath fire. You simply look like an ordinary human, albeit taller than normal. So¡­I¡¯m just curious about why they told us you are a demon to be feared.

    Deborah simply smiles before answering.

    -Demons aren¡¯t about appearance. Even mages originated from Uestos and sided with us were also called demons. Being a demon¡­is about being cruel, selfish, bloodthirsty, ignorant, always strive to prove themselves to be superior than others, always blindly do what they feel like without care of consequences¡­but, when their home is threatened, they are willing to do everything, even giving away their lives, if it means to protect their home, their land, their nation. In a sense¡­demons aren¡¯t that much different from humans.

    -Then do why they fight each other?

    Asks the girl with the twin braids.

    -I keep asking myself that question as well, but no one knows the answer.

    The fight has been going on for several millennia, whatever reason for all the bloodsheds have probably been forgotten by both sides. Now, they just fight, because both sides don¡¯t know anything better. It¡¯s probably in their nature to hate each other, like cats and dogs. Deborah thinks there¡¯s no longer hope for peace between the two of them, the only thing left to do is to decide which side will remain, and which side will perish.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    -Who cares why they fight? They are fighting, that¡¯s the only thing that matter!

    The only boy in the yurt suddenly yells out loud. He stands up and continues this charade with a fist aiming at the sky.

    -When I become a grown up, I¡¯ll leave the Steppe on the back of my trusty horse, and with my sword I¡¯ll defeat the demons and be hailed as a great hero!

    Deborah can only put on an ironic smile as the bratty young boy declares his intent to defeat the demons¡­in front of one in flesh and blood.

    Kids¡­

    -But the chief said that the Steppe is our home, why would you want to leave our home?

    -Who cares what the old hag said? A man¡¯s passion spreads far beyond his home! Or that¡¯s what big bro Gust used to say¡­

    As the young boy replies the short-hair girl, the moment the name Gust appears, his enthusiasm seems to die out, replacing it with a faint hint of sadness as the kid sits back down on the carpet without saying anything else.

    -Right, big bro Gust used to say that, before he left the Steppe and died fighting the demons¡­The more reason why the chief told us to never dream of leaving the Steppe¡­

    The girl with twin braid replies. All three kids fall silent, combining with Deborah¡¯s own silence from the guilt inside her mind making the atmosphere a bit awkward.

    -¡­Tell me about your people, the Beastmasters. I know little about the Steppe and the people residing in it. Seeing as I¡¯m current this tribe¡¯s guest, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to know more about your people.

    Deborah diverts the sour mood with a question of her own. At least for tonight, she doesn¡¯t want to be reminded of Gust¡¯s murder by her hands. A brief night to escape reality is all she asks.

    -Let me! I happen to be an expert on this subject!

    The girl with the twin braids volunteers. Though before she has the chance to start, the short-haired girl interjects into the conversation.

    -Before that, your stew is getting cold, big sis.

    -Oh right, I forgot.

    Deborah touches the bowl of stew, while most of the heat has already left, it still has some warmth remains. Deborah agrees with the twin braids girl to dine on her second bowl of stew while the girl herself answers her question.

    -It was a very long time ago, back when the voices of Gods were still being heard. The fighting between humans, elves and dwarves against the demons were getting fiercer and fiercer by days. Tired of neverending bloodshed, a group of humans departed from their home continent of Uestos for a journey to Suntos. They set up their home in the wild and vast Great Steppe, filled with animals created by the Light God Lielos at the dawn of creation. The fleeing humans made friends with the animals inhabiting the steppe, they learned how to coexist with the animals, and the animals accepted the humans¡¯ presence, this bond eventually became the foundation of the tribes of the Beastmasters.

    For a brief moment, Deborah remembers her friend Iola as she listens to the tale told by the little girl. She can¡¯t help but look at the girl as her friend¡¯s distant little sister. This simple thought helps put on a faint smile on Deborah¡¯s lips as she continues to eat the stew while listening to the tale.

    -Although there were numerous tribes of Beastmasters, all of them were categorized into four main tribes: Felidae, tribes of the cats; Canidae, tribes of the dogs; Aves, tribes of the birds and Equidae, tribes of the horses. Technically speaking, our tribe, Aherin, is part of the Equidae as well!

    -I see.

    Part of, but not actually is the Equidae tribe. Deborah thinks while their doctrine is similar, most tribes just do their own thing rather than being vassals for a lord or something, like how the Aherin tribe persists to stay in the North instead of heading southward to escape the Winter.

    -Still, the sad part came fifty years after the creation of the tribes. At this point, the fighting between the forces of human and the demons were at its fiercest, with the rise of the Beastmasters in Suntos, both sides feared for the birth of another faction to prolong the war even further, so both the humans and demons gave the tribes a dilemma: Join them, or be destroyed.

    -Typical of them¡­

    Deborah makes a snide comments before she lets the little girl continues.

    -The tribes were split into three factions, one returned to their homeland of Uestos, one decided it¡¯s better to fight against the humans than to fight for them and joined the demons, the others remained in the Great Steppe and split themselves into smaller tribes, embracing the nomadic life to escape the wrath of humans and demons. The parting tribes had another desire rather than simply join the fighting for nothing, though.

    -Desire?

    Deborah asks.

    -They brought their animals companions with them, and asked the god of each side to help deepen their bond with their companions. That was their condition to help take part in the war. And thus, Light God Lielos fused men and beasts together, creating the first progenitors of the ¡¸Beastmen¡¹, while the Dark God Anul granted the humans siding with demons the ability to turn into beasts, so they can live together with the beasts they love, thus creating the ¡¸Werebeasts¡¹.¡¡And so, the war continued, but no victor was decided even with the help from the Beastmen and Werebeasts, and the Beastmasters remained isolated from the affair of the world.

    -I see.

    The little girl takes a moment to regain her breath before she continues speaking.

    -The chief told this story to me from time to time, and I love it a lot!

    -The hag keeps telling that story over and over again, it¡¯s starting to get boring!

    -Don¡¯t speak about the chief like that!

    For one reason or another, the kids start to fight among each other, verbally, of course. Deborah can¡¯t help but laugh at the charade of the innocent kids.

    Still¡­men once sought the miracle of Gods, but the Gods are no longer here. If the Gods can¡¯t help me, then who can¡­?

    The chat continues through the night, with varying topics coming from both side. Deborah doesn¡¯t feel tired that easy, but she¡¯s surprised the kids can keep up with the talk all night.

    Before she knows it, dawn has already arrived. The three kids never leave her yurt, they simply fall asleep by the time their stamina gives out, and Deborah just let them be, lending them her blanket and simply waiting for the dawn in the corner of her yurt.

    By the time the first glimpse of sunlight reaches the Great Steppe, Deborah can hear the clopping sound of a horse by the entrance to her yurt, and the person who comes after that is none other than the chief Nephele herself, who promised to take Deborah away by dawn.

    -Damn brats¡­

    And of course, the elder woman¡¯s first reaction is about the three soundly sleeping kids inside the lodging of her guest, along with how her guest seemingly went through the night without a moment of sleep.

    -You sure you can do this without a rest?

    -I¡¯m fine, I have already rested enough.

    Deborah stands up and quietly passes through the sleeping kids to the yurt¡¯s entrance. Nephele returns to mount her old horse while waiting for Deborah, who¡¯s looking at the sleeping kids as a silent farewell.

    -This is the first time that I saw and spoke to children.

    While technically the youths attending Melas Academy can be called children, they are a few years away from adulthood. Deborah herself spent most of her known life within the castle walls, rarely has a chance to venture further than her home. Kids are something she can only know from books. What¡¯s normal for others is exotic for her, and vice versa in other situations.

    -They are simply brats.

    -¡­I won¡¯t deny that, but they are cute nonetheless.

    Deborah replies the cynical old chief.

    -Only until they enter their rebellious age, decide to take up sword and become mercenaries then end up being killed.

    Deborah falls silent before Nephele¡¯s remark, knowing too well who she¡¯s referencing to.

    -Let¡¯s not waste time. Are you sure you want to simply walk?

    -Horses don¡¯t like me as you know from yesterday¡¯s experience. I¡¯m fine, I can make it on my legs alone.

    -As you like.

    The woman departs on the back of her horse, with Deborah quickly following behind. Nobody says anything, with no one even bothers to make up something to say.

    It doesn¡¯t take long for them to reach the foot of the mountain range, at another entrance leading to a cave. The path is guarded by two tribesmen. They say nothing and simply bow to the chief as she rides through the guardpost together with Deborah walking behind. The light of dawn barely reaches the inside of the dark cave, but the chief takes out a small crystal from her pocket. With an input from her, the crystal shines like a portable light, making her travel easier.

    If I remember this right, behind the mountain range is¡­

    The travel through the cave is uneventful, with no random monsters encounter, nor any banter from the two person traveling through it. Nephele simply leads, while Deborah follows, there¡¯s no need for words from any of them, and that¡¯s what scaring Deborah.

    Eventually, the two of them find light at the end of the cave, and when they exit the cave, their destination is revealed to them thanks to the light of the sun.

    -The Arahas desert.

    Says Deborah as she lays her eyes on the vast and hot desert stretching as far as the horizon. She feels the same amazement like the one she had the first time the sight of the Great Steppe appeared in her eyes. As if this mountain range is a barrier separating two different wonderful, but dangerous, worlds.

    -Indeed, your training will take place in here.

    Says Nephele as she watches for any strange movement in the empty desert.

    -Before we start¡­I¡­have something to tell you, chief Nephele¡­

    -What is it?

    Nephele bluntly replies. Deborah clenches her fists and bites her lips as she gathers the courage for her confession.

    -The one who killed your grandson Gust¡­was me¡­

    -I know.

    Nephele¡¯s reply isn¡¯t something Deborah expected to hear.

    -You¡­knew?

    -Before you arrived, I received a letter from his mercenary company, which told me how my grandson died heroically fighting a flame dragon of legend. A day later, I received a letter from Nilrem, asking me to help train a rampaging flame dragon on how to control her powers. You can guess how surprised I was when I have to take in my grandson¡¯s killer into my tribe as a guest.

    Deborah feels a chill down her spine as Nephele delivers her line in an emotionless tone, like a doll practicing to speak as a human. If she was in the chief¡¯s shoes, she doubt she can tolerate her own presence like Nephele did¡­

    -I thought you would remain silent to hide your guilt forever. You might be a murderous monster, but at the very least, I commend you for being an honest murderous monster.

    Deborah is at loss of words from Nephele¡¯s ¡°praise¡± of her.

    -Our tribe¡¯s debt with Nilrem is the only thing keeping me from throwing my life away just for a chance to take yours. It doesn¡¯t matter how you are a dragon even the chosen hero of destiny failed to kill, it¡¯s painful to continue living as someone who faced her grandson¡¯s killer and did nothing. But I gave Nilrem my words¡­along with my honor on the line, even if it means guiding my grandson¡¯s killer, then so be it.

    Nephele suddenly glares at Deborah before she continues.

    -Your training had already been planned by Nilrem, it came as an additional part in the letter you gave me, I am simply the one instructed to guide you here, for your own training.

    -Nilrem¡­had already planned it?

    Even in this place, she can¡¯t escape Nilrem¡¯s manipulation, but Deborah also owns her a thank you, as without her influence, she would have to commit further bloodshed against the tribe who took her in as their guest in their search of vengeance¡­

    -Nilrem gave me many details about why you went on a rampage despite of how powerful you are. You went mad because you were overwhelmed with your power as you unlocked the limits holding your power in check, not helping to that was the exhaustion from fighting the chosen hero. The tragedy you caused was because of your weakness, because you failed to control yourself and your rage. You wanted quick and easy power to use at your disposal, and in the end that power controlled you, causing the tragedies you dread.

    Nephele points her finger toward the desert before continues.

    -That¡¯s why your training will start here, in the Arahas desert. This place is vast enough and filled with dangerous monsters nobody would bat an eye if they disappear from the world. A perfect place for a dragon to rampage. Your task is to return yourself to your berserk state from the siege of Melas, and to escape from it with your own power and resolve.

    Deborah is stunned from the method devised by Nilrem. She came here to avoid becoming a bloodthirsty monster, only to channel that monster once again in an attempt to control it.

    -That¡¯s absurd¡­!

    And something Nilrem would totally come up with, Deborah adds.

    -You don¡¯t have a choice. Better here than your home. Better the monsters in the desert than the people you care about.

    Deborah looks at her right hand, the same hand that took the life of the familiar she summoned here. She gave him her heart to save him from death, but Deborah only has one heart. If another tragedy like that happens again, Deborah won¡¯t be able to save herself, let alone anyone.

    This is what needed to be done!

    -Before we start, I have something to say to you.

    Says the chief.

    -In the belief of the Beastmasters, we believe there¡¯s a beast that dwells within everyone. That beast can be anything, but it is part of everyone¡¯s inner consciousness. It¡¯s a hungry beast, always seeks to devour and consume. One feeds that beast, it will eventually consume its owner. One starves that beast, they would only delay the inevitable from the starving beast.

    Deborah thinks that beast is a metaphor for something, but she thinks less about it and continues to hear the chief¡¯s story.

    -Our people tried to control and tame the beast. Some sought the God of Light, who gave humanity to their beasts. Others sought the God of Darkness, and contented with becoming beasts themselves. The rest of us tried to live with them in harmony, with varying results. Even so, it¡¯s hard to tell which solution is the ¡°best¡± solution, nobody is wise enough to decide it.

    -So what do you mean about this story of man and beast?

    Deborah asks.

    -It means¡­the answer you seek in that desert may not be the one you desire. To follow through with Nilrem¡¯s plan, you will have to face your own inner beast. But as I said, nobody knows the ¡°best¡± solution, even Nilrem¡¯s plan is not perfect. If you face your own beast in that desert, you may not return as the same person you were before.

    -But I no longer have a choice. I will face my beast eventually. It¡¯s too late for me to back down.

    Strength returns to her eyes, there¡¯s no longer guilt, only resolution to finish what she came here for.

    -Chief Nephele, I am ready.

    -I see, then my warning ends here. If you prevail from your trial, consider my debt to Nilrem done. If you perish in the desert, then I hope at least it¡¯ll make my grandson smile in the afterworld of Ardahat.

    Nephele takes out a whistle and blows it. The sound echoes across the desert and¡­nothing happens. But soon after, the ground rumbles, which makes the sand falls like waves of the sea. And from the deeper layers of the ground, a bunch of giant monsters emerge. Sand worms, with skin tougher than steel, and teeth that can shred anything to tiny bits. The terror of the desert, the hunter of the lost, the worst end one can endure. And now, all of the sand worms are fixated on the source of the sound: the two people standing at the entrance to the other side of the mountain range.

    Deborah knows this is her cue, and thus, she runs toward the desert while her mouth chants the spell to unlock her Seven Layers Seal, with her trying to lift the Third Layer holding her tremendous power in check.

    ¡¸O mi???y ?ob? o? olb.

    H??b ??? wo?b? o? ??i? ?in?ul d?in?.

    ???in?b ?w?y ??om ??? wo?lb.

    ?o???b uq ?o ??? b??q??? ?dy??. ¡¹

    Deborah¡¯s body is wrapped in fire as she sets foot onto the sand of the Arahas desert. Her eyes warp into that of a dragon¡¯s, along with her teeth replacing themselves with dragon fangs. Even so, the sandworms do not hold back their charge as they ignorantly rush to their impending death.

    ¡¸?u? I d?? o? ????, li???n ?o my ql??.

    §Á?l???? m? ??om my qu????o?y. ¡¹

    One bursts out of the ground, just meters away from Deborah. It bares its mouth full of thousands of teeth toward Deborah and lunges down to her, swallowing her whole at the very moment the final verse of her spell is finished.

    ¡¸?o? ????? ??? wo?lb? ?o du?n ?nb ?l??? ?o ?????.¡¹

    SPHHHLT!

    The back of the sandworm whom consumed Deborah suddenly bursts into blood as ¡°something¡± comes out of it, with the force rivaling a cannon. The great worm falls down to the sand as that ¡°something¡± claws its way out of the worm¡¯s entangling intestines, revealing a figure soaked in blood, as red as her hair as well as her bloodshot eyes filled with rage and bloodlust.

    ¡°ARGHHHHHHHHGHHHHHHHH!!!¡±

    And the roar of dragon is finally heard in the continent of Suntos as Nephele makes her way back to her tribe, away from the ensuring massacre in the desert.

 Chapter 60: The secret meeting

    ¡°Quite the welcome, I see.¡±

    The fully cloaked man mutters on the back of his Warg as he finds himself and his companion being surrounded by thirty red-skinned Orc riders on their feral desert Wargs. The desert Orcs ready their weapons, their eyes don¡¯t make any attempt to hide the desire to cause bloodshed and violence, and the only thing stopping them is the biggest Orc of the bunch, the one riding an equally big Warg filled with scars. He¡¯s wearing a coat made of Warg¡¯s fur, and has a belt made of the skulls of the people he killed, with no discrimination of races and factions. Though, even when facing such a dreadful individual, the mysterious cloaked man and his equally cloaked companion don¡¯t seem to be affected by fear for their lives.

    ¡°I must say I¡¯m quite enjoying your hospitality. Making a creature of the night like me wait in the desert while the sun is at its highest, then come up late with your armed servants, who also smell worse than the dogs they ride. I guess I expect nothing less from the dumb barbarians living in this shit hole of a continent.¡±

    ¡°Shut the hell up, Vampire! I¡¯ll stick my axe up your ass and we¡¯ll see who¡¯s the one laughing in the end!¡±

    Yells an Orc rider near the location of their big boss. Feeling insulted from the talking of the cloaked man, he orders his Warg to charge toward the Orcs¡¯ supposed guests.

    But he is too slow, the Orc in charge swings his axe and splits his rebellious underling into two halves. The feral Warg fails to realize the instant death of its master and continues to charge at the two cloaked men in front of it. The other cloaked man from behind takes out a dagger and throws it right at the Warg¡¯s forehead, killing it in a blink of an eye before it has a chance to reach his boss who¡¯s conducting the talk.

    ¡°Now this is the kind of scum I¡¯m talking about! You savages are perfect for the task I have in mind!¡±

    Says the cloaked vampire in excitement. The Orc leader is not going to just stand there and take insults to his face, he holds his bloodied axe out toward the vampire like a warning and says.

    ¡°Are you here to talk or to be slaughtered?¡±

    ¡°Huh, so now you¡¯re interested in talking, Warband Leader Farkas. Very well, I¡¯ll talk, I would hate to see you lay waste on another underling of yours. It won¡¯t be good for the job I have in mind for you.¡±

    Says the cloaked vampire.

    ¡°What are you suggesting?¡±

    ¡°Simply put, I want you and your Warband to join me and take over the Demon Realm!¡±

    The Orc riders look at each other in confusion from the vampire¡¯s proposal, they all look at their leader for guidance, and his response is¡­

    ¡°Convince me not to fix your mind with my axe by your head.¡±

    ¡°Do you know about the siege of Melas? I hope news can still travel even in this backwater shithole.¡±

    ¡°We know, and what of it?¡±

    The vampire silently smirks under his cloak.

    ¡°Do you think the humans would brazenly made a surprise attack like that on their own? No! I helped them! I fed them the info I gathered on the demon army in hope for them to make a plan like that. And they did, how stupid of them! The aftermath of Melas ended in a stalemate, but soon after in the future, there will be another great battle between the demons and the Alliance. With my intervention, the battle¡¯s outcome will put both the humans and demons at an disadvantage from any fighting afterward. That¡¯s when we¡¯ll strike!¡±

    Invade a nation when the defenders are exhausted and the other invaders are unable to follow after, the vampire¡¯s plan sounds good in theory, but the leader of a warband won¡¯t simply put his warband in danger just because someone proposed an invasion plan to him.

    ¡°You are a traitor to the Demon Realm, what makes you think we can trust someone who backstabbed his own homeland like this?¡±

    ¡°Traitor? Hahaha, no, you¡¯re wrong.¡±

    The cloaked vampire chuckles.

    ¡°I¡¯m not betraying the Demon Realm, I¡¯m saving it from their blind obedience to that damn fool Dargoth.¡±

    The Orcs¡¯ faces change when the name ¡¸Dargoth¡¹ is brought up, even their level-headed Warband Leader. There¡¯s a hidden rage within each of the Orcs living in the Arahas desert, and the name Dargoth is the keyword to lure it out of its shells.

    ¡°You seek to destroy the Demon Realm built by Dargoth?¡±

    Asks the Warband Leader.

    ¡°Yes! Just look at it as it is right now, with humans roaming the land like they own the place, with a war so pathetic it still going on and on without end and without anyone bothered enough to try and finish it for good. The demons mimic the humans, trade with the humans, acting like they are not human while trying to fight against those very humans. Such hypocrisy! And they all thank Dargoth for what they have become in the present day! The time has come for the exiled descendants of Belzaboul to return and prove to them what true demons really like!¡±

    When Dargoth defeated the Original Seven demon lords, he allowed the former lords to serve under him, except for two. One was the necromancer Sanat, the Defier of Mortality, who rejected Dargoth¡¯s proposal and went into hiding until his existence was lost to history, and the other was the cannibalistic Orc Belzaboul, the Butcher of Life, who Dargoth personally killed in their encounter of out disgust, and banished his loyal followers to this God forsaken desert. The exiled Orcs settled down here in the Arahas desert, and their descendants waited a thousand year for a chance to have their revenge, the chance offered by the vampire hiding under the cloak.

    ¡°Join me and lay waste your power onto those who banished you to this shithole. Destroy what you hate, pillage what you want, take back your rightful place as how a demon should be! I won¡¯t pass up this chance if I am you.¡±

    ¡°But you are not me, and you are a fool to think we would simply charge in and fight the demons as your pawns because you mention Dargoth once.¡±

    The warband leader replies.

    ¡°So, what¡¯s stopping you?¡±

    The vampire asks.

    ¡°The 100th Demon King, Bartolo.¡±

    The one who brought the war to the shore of the Uestos continent, and also the one who lost it and found his land being slowly conquered, the current Demon King, the 100th Demon King, Bartolo.

    ¡°He was defeated by the late Hero Lida and her companions, even though he lived, the current Bartolo is simply a shell of his former self.¡±

    The vampire seems annoyed the moment the name Bartolo is brought up.

    ¡°He is still a Demon King nonetheless. One word from him, and all the might of Eostre will unite to fight any enemy he desires. Your offer is tempting, but unless Bartolo is dead, you will have no forces coming from us for your ambition.¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    The cloaked vampire falls silent, he seemingly doesn¡¯t expect some barbarians to bring up a good point regarding his plan against the Demon Realm as a whole. Nonetheless, the vampire already has the exiled Orcs in his hands, he only has to do what they requested, and he will have a strong diversion for the real forces under his command.

    ¡°A temporary setback, but nothing that would break what was planned. Fine, I will take care of Bartolo, and once I¡¯m done, I expect you and your warband to join in my rebellion.¡±

    ¡°Kill the Demon King, and we¡¯ll talk.¡±

    Warband Leader Farkas replies as he turns his Warg away from the vampire and his companion in preparation to depart, followed by his armed underlings. But before he has a chance to go, an Orc messenger riding on a tired Warg approaches him from afar. His face looks like he has seen hell and went back.

    ¡°Boss! Emergency news! It¡¯s the Andras Warband!¡±

    ¡°What!? They dare attacking us during my absence? The guts of them! With this, they have sealed their destruction! Come, my Orcs! We will rip and tear them apart!¡±

    Farkas suddenly yells out loud, followed by the battle cry of the Orcs under his leadership. Even though their morale and bloodlust is high, the messenger doesn¡¯t seem to be relieved from successfully delivering the news, probably because he has yet to finish it.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re too late, Boss¡­The Andras Warband has already been destroyed¡­by something else.¡±

    ¡­

    With the lead of the messenger, the Orcs of the Farkas Warband follows after him to see the destruction of their rival warband with their own two eyes. By the time corpses of fallen Orcs and Warg carcasses start to appear on a trail like trash on the street, all the Orcs know they are near their destination. Even the cloaked vampire and his companion join in out of pure curiosity, considering their negotiation is already over.

    And what the group find at the place where there¡¯re still screams of the living is¡­a girl.

    A girl, with long hair as red as the blood soaked on her nomadic outfit, also just as red as her bloodshot eyes filled with dread and terror. She¡¯s walking on her two feet, slowly and steady, but it lacks anything that remotely resemble ¡°willpower¡±. One can say she looks like a living zombie, aimlessly wandering the desert in search of something nobody knows about.

    But can a mere zombie cause so much terror? How can a zombie make the trail of corpses left behind every steps she takes? But the terror in the eyes of the living Orc warriors seem to tell it¡¯s the truth.

    ¡°Kill her! Kill that damn bitch to avenge your fallen brothers!¡±

    Yells the biggest Orc of the group, who for some reason is the one standing the farthest away from the ¡°zombie¡± girl, with the few orcs he has left protecting him at the front.

    ¡°Still a coward like always, heh, Andras?¡±

    Warband Leader Farkas mumbles as he and his men stay hidden from sight to observe the slaughter ground, together with the vampire and his companion.

    ¡°Impossible¡­of all people, why is she here?¡±

    For the first time since the secret meeting, the vampire¡¯s companion speaks. The attention of the Orcs turns to the words of the cloaked assassin, as he seems to be the only one who has some idea of the thing destroying Andras¡¯s men.

    ¡°You know who that is, my Knight?¡±

    The vampire asks.

    ¡°I infiltrated Melas castle before the siege began to observe the outcome, I do not know who she is, but I am aware of what she is. That thing¡­is a flame dragon sealed beneath Melas castle. The same flame dragon even the Hero failed to defeat, and was also responsible for the destruction of the land around the castle by the end of the siege.¡±

    The one dubbed Knight replies. All the Orcs fall into silent as they watch the dragon girl slowly walking toward their rivals.

    ¡°That is a dragon? Nonsense.¡±

    Farkas comments out of sheer ignorance and arrogance. The Farkas Warband is the largest Orc warband in the Arahas desert, but the second one after them is the Andras Warband. He refuses to believe the rival he always seek for a chance to destroy is cowering in front of something that look just like a normal nomadic girl living in the steppe.

    But the Orc leader is soon proven wrong as the final battle between Andras¡¯s Orcs and the unknown girl starts to begin.

    ¡°Shoot her! Shoot the damn bitch!¡±

    Andras orders. The Orcs in the front take out several crossbows, all of which seem to have superior design than the crossbows Farkas is aware of. Considering the existence of the several trashed caravans lying behind the trial of death, it¡¯s rather obvious Andras has just returned from a trade with the merchants of Aurum city, which probably involved weapons dealing. There¡¯s a good chance Andras would use his newly acquired crossbows to combat against Farkas¡¯s own warband, if not for the appearance of the supposedly ¡°dragon¡±.

    ¡°What are you waiting for? Hurry up and shoot her!¡±

    After the Orcs finish loading their crossbows, they aim at the dragon girl and shoot her. It isn¡¯t hard to hit a target who¡¯s not even bother to dodge, and soon, the dragon girl is turned to a pin cushion consists of bolts, with her stomach, forehead, an eye, arms and legs being damaged. The bolts put a stop to her walk, and she just stands there, seemingly dies without falling down.

    ¡°So much for being a ¡°Dragon¡±.¡±

    Says Farkas as he gazes at the one who told him the story about the destructive flame dragon of Melas, but the one called Knight simply remains silent and let the dragon girl prove the truth by herself.

    ¡°Again and again¡­why can¡¯t that damn bitch stay dead!?¡±

    The dragon girl¡¯s regeneration power kicks in, her healed flesh pushes away the bolts on their own, and the girl continues her path of carnage, starting with the Orcs trying to harm her.

    ¡°M-Men, charge!¡±

    Under Andras¡¯s order, the first and second row depart from their position and charge at the dragon girl with their axes held high. But the dragon girl no longer stays passive. The moment the Orcs approach her, the dragon girl strikes. Her arms move fast, dealing punches like a true martial artist master, but those who are keen on martial arts know this isn¡¯t anything resembling an ¡°art¡±. The dragon girl simply attacks with sheer force and speed fast enough to imitate martial art, but no matter what they are, they still work. Heads blasted, torsos split, axes broken. Each punch she throws comes with a force so strong it destroy their body parts and leave barely anything remain aside from blood. Soon, the Orcs charging at her drop like flies flying toward a flame. Their bodies lie on the hot sand, while their blood join in to soak the dragon girl¡¯s clothing, like the blood of many before them.

    And the dragon girl continues her walk toward the remaining Orcs, slowly, but surely.

    ¡°What are you waiting for!? Kill that bitch, or I¡¯ll kill you cowardly bastards!¡±

    Andras yells without realizing he has sealed his own doom, as the Orcs under his command turn on him and outright murder their leader. The wrath of the Orcs reserved to face the dragon girl is now directed at their former leader. Andras has his head cut, his body split in half, his Warg stolen by the fastest Orc who has his hands on it. The remaining Orcs throw his remains to the sand near the dragon girl in a plea of forgiveness as they run away before taking their turn to be killed by her. But the dragon girl ignores the useless Orc corpse and presses on her aimless journey, in the line between sanity and madness.

    ¡°And the Andras Warband is done for. Have some Orcs salvage the remains of his caravans, the rest return to the base with me and gather our force. Andras is gone, but his territories still remain, and we will make them ours!¡±

    Yells Farkas as he orders his men to do what¡¯s natural for the Orcs living in the Arahas desert. The weak die, and the strong consume them to continue their fight. What is savage for others is normal to them, and not even a stray dragon can change that.

    With Farkas and his men gone, the only people remaining here are the vampire and his assassin companion, who¡¯s still watching the dragon girl wandering off in search of something in the vast Arahas desert.

    ¡°We should go as well, King.¡±

    Says the cloaked assassin, but he is in for a surprise as the one he claimed as ¡°King¡± has pull off the gloves protecting his hands from the sunlight. He holds his hands toward the wandering dragon girl from afar, almost as if trying to catch her with his scorched hands from the light of the sun.

    ¡°Beautiful¡­!¡±

    Says the vampire in excitement.

    ¡°At long last, I have finally found a worthy woman to be my Queen!. My heart raced as she mercilessly tore those Orcs apart. Such strength and beauty. So cruel and savage. This is the power of a true demon! A one of a kind, befitting to be my destined Queen! To think I would find you in this forsaken desert¡­the whims of fate is indeed cruel!¡±

    The vampire puts his hands back to the gloves before they melt away from sunlight exposure, he commands his Warg to turns back without any further suggestion from his assassin companion, despite the whole charade earlier to the one he deems beffting as his dream girl.

    ¡°But our time to meet has yet to come, my dear. However, our destiny will soon align together, and I will come to claim you as my own, my future Queen.¡±

    The vampire rides his Warg away from the desert of corpses, together with his companion. And soon, silence returns to the desert as the sand consumes the leftover of the carnage earlier, like it has always been doing since the birth of the Arahas desert.

 Chapter 61: The Heroéˆ¥æªš arrival

    -Finally, arrived at last!

    Yells the young hero Fino as his eyes finally catch sight of the Great Steppe. Standing behind him is his childhood friend Elisha, who¡¯s also as glad as the young hero when they finally find a way out of the Elowen forest¡­thanks to some help on the road.

    -Thank you very much for guiding us here!

    The catgirl gracefully bows down her head at the one-eyed man with an eyepatch on his left eye. He¡¯s an early middle-aged man with rugged brown hair and messy beard, wearing common, if not cheap, battle gears and outfit befitting a fellow mercenary. His spear is attached to a sheath by his back. He¡¯s riding a brown horse, unlike the fifty men following him who are contented with walking on their feet. For mercenaries, the fifty men standing behind them have this professional air belongs to trained soldiers. The two young heroes do not know what group of mercenaries they are, nor the reason why they operate in here instead of the frontline in Eostre, but nonetheless, both of them are grateful for the mysterious mercenaries who helped guide them here.

    -Try not to get lost again.

    The one-eyed man replies as he and his men prepare to leave the site, back to where they came from before they got sidetracked by the plea of a young couple of heroes.

    -Excuse me! We have yet to hear your name. At the very least, I want to know the name of the one who helped us!

    Fino yells as he approaches his childhood friend Elisha. The girl silently nods, seemingly agrees to what Fino said.

    -My name is not important. If luck favors us, we will never meet again. Farewell, young Hero.

    Without waiting for any reply, the man leaves together with his men. The young heroes find themselves alone in the wild yet again, just like how it was from the start of their journey toward this strange continent, away from the war ravaging the peace of this world.

    -There he goes, and we still don¡¯t know his name. Maybe he¡¯s just shy?

    -I doubt that¡¯s the real reason¡­

    The black-haired cat girl puts on an ironic smile as she replies her childhood friend.

    -Anyway, we are already behind schedule. We should have arrived in the Aherin tribe four days ago, and yet we haven¡¯t even set foot into the Great Steppe. If we didn¡¯t spend too much of our time to stay in Aurum, then maybe we would have made it sooner¡­

    -But there were people in Aurum who needed our help! Just imagine what would happen if we didn¡¯t find that old granny¡¯s cats, bad things will happen!

    Fino enthusiastically replies his friend.

    -I know! Those cats were so cute, and that granny was so kind, she even offered us a pie. I really don¡¯t regret helping those people. But we are really really behind schedule! Getting lost in Elowen forest certainly doesn¡¯t help¡­

    -Come on, cheer up!

    Fino pats the catgirl on the head.

    -It¡¯s not too late. The two of us can get this job done without a problem. Sure, Theo would scold us later, but we certainly won¡¯t fail him with this mission!

    The short-haired cat girl sighs despite being consoled by her friend. The black tail behind the back of her dress points down and slowly waves around like a saddened cat.

    -Theo told me to come with you to keep you focused on this mission, but seems like it¡¯s still too soon for me to escape being dragged along with you for whatever heroic things you came up.

    -And you always helped me even though you could refuse. And when we returned, Theo would find us just to scold us for rushing out without his permission. But¡­when facing against the adults, he always took the blame to himself and ended up getting scolded by everyone.

    The two of them exchange smiles with each other.

    -I once thought those days back in the capital city of Solveig would go on forever, with three kids doing stupid things together, ignorant of the war beyond the city¡¯s walls. But I guess we can¡¯t run away from reality forever, and Theo was the first to go¡­

    Says Fino as he frowns, but suddenly, the catgirl Elisha grabs his right hand. The young hero can feel a strange warmth from both of Elisha¡¯s tender hands.

    -But the three of us are together once again, after all the hardship we have endured. Together, nothing can tear us apart. Let¡¯s go and finish this mission, Fino, and return to Theo after we¡¯re done.

    Fino simply nods to reply his childhood friend. Together, hand in hand, they venture into the Great Steppe in search of the sole Beastmaster tribe still remains in the North of the Steppe.

    ¡­

    Chief Nephele is alone inside of her tent. On one hand, she is holding a lit smoking pipe, on the other is a letter she just received earlier, through the use of an unknown black dove. Only people well-versed in shady deals would use this type of information transference, and certainly the message it carried along is not something anyone would want to see.

    Your village is next ¨C Rudo Bandits

    After she finishes reading the message, Nephele burns the warning letter with the use of the warming fire in the center of her yurt.

    -Why can¡¯t I get a good news letter for a change¡­?

    First was the letter of her grandson¡¯s death, second was the letter asking for a favor to help her grandson¡¯s killer, and then there¡¯s this, the warning letter from the infamous Rudo Bandits. Certainly this isn¡¯t a good time for her to receive letters. Anyhow, Nephele¡¯s thought is now focused on the defense of her village. Half of her fighters are already out there in the Steppe, scouting for signs of this very Rudo Bandits, but considering the direct threat from them, her only course of action is to recall them back to defend the village. It will take some times, but the sooner the better.

    -Chief, there¡¯s someone who wants to see you.

    Suddenly, one of the maid tasked to take care of the chief comes inside of her yurt. Even so, Nephele does not mind and just ask about whatever new problem has arisen.

    -Who are they?

    -There are two, a human, and a Felin. They claimed to be comrades of Gust from the Empyrean Mercenaries.

    Nephele makes a quick thought before replying.

    -Send them here.

    The maid nods and rushes away to deliver the news.

    Meanwhile, Fino and Elisha are being kept waiting at the entrance to the tribe, by five riders tasked with guarding the place. Even with the intense gazes from the riders, the two young heroes still maintain their composure, with their weapons firmly sheathed in the back, together with their backpack for travelling. Only when Nephele¡¯s maid rushes out to announce their permission to enter do the riders treat the visitors as their guests and allow the young heroes to enter.

    -Well, that went better than expected!

    Says Fino as he enters the village together with Elisha. Unexpectedly, his childhood friend does not reply, not when she¡¯s too busy gazing at the tribesmen¡¯s daily life with curiosity in her eyes and her waving tail on the back as well. The sentiment is mutual since even the people of the Aherin tribe can¡¯t believe there¡¯s a true Beastman in flesh and blood is walking among them, this causes more attraction to the visitors than necessary, even making people around forget to notice the Light Seal of Lielos on the back of Fino¡¯s right hand.

    Finally after the commotion they caused from their presence alone, the two guests manage to arrive in front of the chief¡¯s yurt. The entrance isn¡¯t covered by any kind of cloth, and the two young heroes can see the chief sitting by herself waiting for them.

    -Finally we are here, Gust¡¯s hometown. Let¡¯s go inside, Elisha.

    -Uhm¡­if I may, can I leave this to you? I want to¡­explore this tribe a bit more.

    Elisha replies.

    -Are you sure? I¡¯m not that good at diplomacy. Make one mistake and they may stake us alive before cooking us for dinner.

    Fino¡¯s answer manages to get a giggle out of Elisha. The catgirl calmly speaks after she takes back the control of herself.

    -I¡¯m sure they won¡¯t do that. Don¡¯t cut yourself short, I believe in you, Fino. Please give me this chance. This is a Beastmaster tribe, the progenitors of my people. I may not have another chance like this, so¡­

    Fino sudden gives Elisha a headpat.

    -Are you expecting me to refuse you?

    The two young heroes exchange smiles.

    -Let¡¯s meet up later, then.

    -Okay, thank you, Fino!

    With a smile on her face, Elisha rushes off on her own to explore the exotic village, while the main job at the moment now falls to the care of the young Fino. He doesn¡¯t want to keep the chief waiting, so Fino quickly enters Nephele¡¯s yurt.

    -Curious one, isn¡¯t she?

    Certainly not the most typical greeting, but Fino understands why she makes that comment.

    -She has always been that way everytime we visit a new place.

    Fino replies.

    -Well, she is a Felin. It has to be part of her instinct. I don¡¯t mind the presence of a Beastman in my tribe, but I can¡¯t say if my tribesmen would share the same sentiment. Not every place is kind to a Beastman, especially a young girl like her. Your friend best be careful.

    Says the chief as she takes another dip at her smoking pipe.

    -I understand.

    Fino bluntly answers as he sits down to begin the main business of why he came here.

    -My name is Sera Fino of the Empyrean Mercenaries. On behalf of our company, we are terribly sorry for the loss of your grandson.

    Suddenly, Fino bows in front of the chief, with his head touching on the ground. This very act alone surprises the chief enough to make her drop her smoking pipe down. She certainly doesn¡¯t believe someone would bow his head this low just to deliver the news of someone¡¯s death, especially with a young man bearing the seal of Lielos himself on his right hand. Nephele at first expects this to be a show to earn her pity, but the hero¡¯s stubbornness and refusal to get up only makes her feel annoyed more than anything.

    -Get up, Hero. My grandson was an adult. I may feel grief, but ultimately Gust¡¯s death was his own doing. I won¡¯t blame you or your company for the decision he made.

    With the permission from the chief, Fino reluctantly gets his head up. Without saying anything, Fino reaches his backpack in search of something. When he finally finds it, Fino takes it out of his backpack. It is wrapped in a brown cloth, but the shape is certainly that of a sword. Fino carefully places it in front of the chief, right before her reach.

    -This is¡­

    Nephele takes the sword and unwarps the cloth. It¡¯s a curved sword, but an ordinary sword nonetheless, nothing too uncommon in the Great Steppe. But just one look alone is enough for the Aherin chief to understand.

    -It was broken in the fight against the enemy who killed him. I¡¯m sorry we didn¡¯t fix it faster. Not many blacksmiths we know have a good understanding of Suntos weaponry. We did all we could to repair his sword.

    -You have done enough. Thank you¡­for bringing him back to us.

    The following moments is about the chief asking for the details of what happened at Melas castle. Fino keeps the conversation as brief as he can, but it still takes a while to explain most of the things that happened in the chaotic mess called the Siege of Melas.

    -So you fought the same dragon that killed my grandson. How did it feel to fight against such a mythical being?

    Asks Nephele, which Fino reluctantly answers.

    -It was dreadful. My comrades were mowed down one by one, slaughtered by the strength of something beyond our common comprehension, and that was before she went mad. If not for my friends, I wouldn¡¯t make it out alive.

    Nephele remains silent, trying to keep the fact that she witnessed such madness with her own eyes four days ago before the young hero.

    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!-If she was as powerful as you said, then it was Gust¡¯s own bad luck to face her as her opponent.

    The desire for revenge is still there, but Nephele¡¯s renewed understanding has somewhat eased her hatred of the dragoness in question. It¡¯s simply a matter of perspective, she defended her home against the attackers which included her grandson. At the very least, she can accept the dragoness didn¡¯t do it out of bloodlust.

    -Still, enough about my grandson. A Hero like you didn¡¯t come here all this way just to deliver one bad news, I take it?

    Fino reluctantly nods to confirm Nephele¡¯s words.

    -I was originally sent here on a job to destroy a bandit band ravaging the region around Aurum. Even so, the people of Aurum don¡¯t know much about this so called Rudo Bandits. Their way of operating is strangely mysterious even for a band of bandits. Our employers briefed us that they mostly attacked rich towns and villages, but not without sending in a warning letter first. But for some reason, recently they attacked a caravan instead, the Aherin tribe¡¯s trading caravan. So our search led us to your tribe, returning Gust¡¯s sword was just a bonus.

    Nephele takes another smoke before replying.

    -You came to the right place. Just before you arrived, we recieved a warning letter from the Rudo Bandits saying they will attack the village.

    A drop of sweat falls down of Fino¡¯s cheek. With his fists clenched, Fino speaks.

    -How daring of them!

    -There¡¯s something strange about this. I don¡¯t understand why they would attack our caravan and picked an enemy out of our tribe. But nonetheless, they wanted us as an enemy, they got it. We will not let some mere bandits trample over our tribe¡¯s pride.

    Fino nods in agreement. No matter what, protecting people is also one among the many duties a Hero must fulfill. Fighting demons is good and all, but he would prefer to do some actual protecting from time to time.

    -I want to help you in the fight as well, as it is both my job and my duty. Is there anything else you can tell me about this Rudo Bandits.

    -I don¡¯t know much about them either, but one of the survivors from the caravan attack has caught a glimpse of someone he presumed to be their leader. Their leader, presumably Rudo himself, is a man with an eyepatch covering his left eye. Other than that, nothing else noteworthy.

    Nephele answers. However, she doesn¡¯t expect Fino to have a shocked expression after recieving her answer, as if she just told him something that he shouldn¡¯t hear about.

    -A man with an eyepatch on his left eye...

    Fino mumbles.

    -What¡¯s wrong?

    Asks Nephele. Fino can only reluctantly answers.

    -I think I have met Rudo and his bandits on the way.

    Fino starts to explain about his and Elisha¡¯s earlier encounter with a man wearing an eyepatch, who was also the one helping them get out of the Elowen forest. Fino certainly doesn¡¯t expect that very man to be the one he was sent to hunt down.

    -What a shame they didn¡¯t try to rob you right then. It would make this job easier for both of us.

    Fino instinctively touches the Light Seal on his right hand, having a rough idea about why they didn¡¯t do what bandits usually do.

    -Still, I more amazed you didn¡¯t have any doubt about them being the same bandits you¡¯re after.

    Says Nephele.

    -I don¡¯t want to live a life where I can only find enemy inside everyone.

    -A naive way of life. If you aren¡¯t a Hero, that ideal would lead you to an early grave.

    Fino remains silent from Nephele¡¯s comment. He gets that reply a lot, but never will any of those manage to sway him from what he believes in.

    -But enough about that. The Rudo Bandits are nearby, and that¡¯s all I need to know. Their appearance combined with the warning letter is no coincidence. They are planning an attack on this village. But I¡¯d rather strike them down first than letting them set foot inside our home.

    Nephele stands up and grabs her own sword inside the yurt. She turns to Fino and asks.

    -Will you come with us, Hero? Your help would be appreciated.

    Fino also stands up and nods in agreement. Even so, he seems reluctant in partaking on a mission to kill someone who helped him. Nevertheless, naive as he is, Fino understands there are things that simply needed to be done.

    -Lead the way, chief.

    Following Nephele¡¯s lead, the two of them get out of her yurt. The chief starts barking orders to gather her men while Fino simply waits, deferring the leadership to the chief of this tribe.

    But before they can set out on the hunt, another matter has suddenly came up.

    -Chief Nephele, please! You have to come quickly!

    One of Nephele¡¯s maid approaches her with urgency.

    -What¡¯s the problem?

    Asks the chief, only for the maid to answer the problem is about the other guest that came along with Fino.

    Under the lead of the maid, chief Nephele together with Fino approach a yurt within the village. There¡¯s the sound of argument going on around, and when they get there, all they see is a crowd gathering around to watch the verbal fight between an elderly herbalist and the catgirl who arrived recently as a guest.

    -No means no! Never again would I let you mages keep doing what you please just because you have magic!

    -But please! Just let me take a look at them. I promise I won¡¯t cause any trouble!

    The catgirl nervously replies, but the tribe¡¯s herbalist still maintains her stance.

    -I said no, now leave, you mutt!

    Something cracks inside Fino¡¯s mind. He finds himself rushing out in front of Elisha and wards her away from the herbalist with his arm as he shouts out loud.

    -Don¡¯t you dare call her that way!

    Before the situation gets more tense, the chief intervenes to make both sides stand down. First, she turns to her fellow tribesmen and asks for the problem.

    -What was she trying to do?

    -She snuck into my yurt, trying to bewitch the kids who caught the winter flu! I caught her redhanded as she prepared her magic staff!

    Says the herbalist. The chief looks inside the herbalist¡¯s yurt to find three kids, two girls and one boy, the same kids who stayed up late at the previous guest¡¯s yurt. That was probably the reason why they caught the Winter flu in the first place. Nevertheless, the chief turns to the catgirl in question and asks for her testimony.

    -Is it true?

    -No...their fever is very high and doesn¡¯t seem to be cooling down in any moment, so I intended to ease their pain with my healing magic. But before I can...I...

    Nephele signs. There¡¯s a more grave matter requiring her attention right now. The faster she can solve this the better.

    -Can you vouch for her abilities, Hero?

    Nephele suddenly asks Fino. After cooling down from his anger, Fino calmly replies.

    -She is a Maiden of Heloise, she learned healing magic and medical arts ever since she was a child. You won¡¯t find a better healer, chief.

    The herbalist seems insulted by Fino¡¯s final comment, but nonetheless remains silent and defers the judgement to the chief in charge.

    -Then do your thing, heal them back, but our herbalist will still be the one to take care of the kids afterward. Just like you, I can vouch for my herbalist¡¯s ability. She has quite the temper as you can see, but she has taken care of our people for a long time, and I trust her just like you trust your friend.

    With the way said by the chief, nobody else rises any objection. The herbalist reluctantly allows Elisha to approach the sickly kids. The catgirl puts her hand on the forehead of the braided girl infected with the winter flu. Her body temperature is high, but not at life threatening stage. Whatever medicine the herbalist gave them worked, but nonetheless, they are in pain and are struggling to fight against the flu.

    Elisha grabs her golden staff on her left hand and chants a spell. A faint green light radiates from the hand touching the braided girl¡¯s forehead. Soon after, the young girl stops sweating, and the color on her face is getting better than before. Elisha quickly performs the same process to the remaining kids and retreats out of the tent as per deal. The herbalist walks back inside to check the kids, only to see the result from the mage she was insulting earlier.

    -Thank you, but I will take it from here.

    Fino is still pissed that the herbalist never once apologizes his friend for calling her a ¡°mutt¡±, but nevertheless decides to walk away from the tent before his temper causes more trouble for them.

    -I¡¯m sorry. I caused another trouble even when I shouldn¡¯t.

    -Don¡¯t apologize, you did nothing wrong.

    Fino consoles his friend as they follow Nephele¡¯s lead to where her riders are waiting. Fifty of them, almost all of the fighting men currently available in the village. She doesn¡¯t want to bring more men than needed, but the enemy has roughly the same number, and even with the presence of a Hero alongside her, Nephele won¡¯t take any chances.

    After a quick brief on the situation to Elisha, Fino gets on a horse provided by the chief to prepare for depart.

    -Are you sure I should stay here?

    -Someone has to defend the village. I don¡¯t know what will happen, but it¡¯s best that we split up.

    Fino replies. The other reason is because he doesn¡¯t want Elisha to fight against someone who helped them before. If anything, he alone should bear the responsibility, not his innocence friend he knows from childhood.

    -The chief is going to send out some of her men to recall her riders back to the village, but until then, the defense of the village relies on you and the remaining guards. If troubles arise, please lend them your strength, Elisha.

    Elisha firmly grabs her golden staff, but her expression is hardly brimmed with confidence.

    -I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m strong enough to help them.

    -You are strong. I believe in you.

    Before they can resume their conversation, the chief orders her men to set out, thus Fino has to follow them without making a proper goodbye. But that isn¡¯t a problem, because this isn¡¯t a farewell, he will return, and he will go back home together with his childhood friend Elisha.

    But before that, there¡¯s still one life he has to take in order to fulfill his mission, the life of Rudo.

    ...

    A tribesman is riding alone in the Steppe, in search for his other comrades scouting the land. The chief¡¯s order was to tell them to retreat and defend the village, but it may take a while until all of their forces can return in time.

    Nevertheless, he still needs to try. The sun is setting, but the darkness of the night won¡¯t stop him from fulfilling his mission.

    However, an arrow may do the deed.

    -Arghh!

    Out of nowhere, an arrow finds its mark on the back of the messenger. He falls down to the grass land, with his back soaking the grass in red. Out of a nearby hill, a band of filthy men appear, laughing at his misery. One among them is a towering man, with an eyepatch on his left eye, and a huge blade by his right arm.

    -You...!

    The one-eyed man cut the messenger into half, ending his life. He smiles as he watches the direction in which the messenger came from, at the village of the Aherin tribe.

    -Now, boys, shall we begin the hunt?

 Chapter 62: The Rudo Bandits

    The group of men continue their march in the steppe, even when the sun is no longer in the sky. Their torches show the way in the darkness, although the moon and the stars help somewhat. There are more than fifty men in total, all walking silently, led by a man on the horse, with an eye-patch covering his lost left eye.

    -¡­

    Rudo holds his gaze to the sky as he watches the stars beyond, up to the Draconis constellation ¨C a group of stars forming up to shape a dragon spreading its wings. There¡¯s an old saying that wherever the head of the dragon points to, the North will be just ahead. An old tale to help travelers navigate the path - Rudo thought, but considering the continent of Nereus ¨C the former home of all dragons of Airumel, lies in the Northern part of the world, maybe it isn¡¯t just a simple tale.

    Either way, Rudo compares the direction his men is marching and the head of dragon. He comes to the conclusion that they are on course, the Northern village of the Aherin tribe won¡¯t be far.

    Telling himself he must hurry, Rudo commands his men to speed up. But suddenly, he feels a chill down his spine, and instinctively grabs the spear behind his back.

    -Ambush!

    Rudo yells. At that moment, a volley of arrows come out of nowhere and start picking off his men one by one. Rudo twirls his spear to deflect the arrows aiming at his position, but the initial attack got his men good. Even so, they are quick to regroup and assume battle stance to prepare for battle.

    Whatever kind of bandits these men are, they are very good at the art of warfare.

    -Square formation, spears up! Riders incoming! Keep them from breaking formation no matter what!

    Rudo barks order to his men like a commander to his soldiers, and without giving doubt a moment, his men instantly follow Rudo¡¯s order to the tee.

    Arrows volley, night attack in the Great Steppe. Only one tribe currently in the North has the gall and the capability to do such thing. The very tribe these men are seeking, the Aherin tribe. And when it comes to the tribe of the horsemen, it¡¯s natural to expect riders.

    And just as Rudo predicted, coming out of the nearby hills are riders of the Aherin tribe, led by an elderly woman whose age makes her ferocious riding looks like a fantasy of a drunkard about his angry mom. While he has a horse to ride, all of his surviving men are still on foot. If they run away, their horsemen would pick them off one by one, they would lose the moment the first men turns his back and run. Only by gathering around and fight do these men have a chance to see the dawn of tomorrow.

    -Hold your formation, I¡¯ll go and engage the enemy leader!

    Rudo orders his horse to charge toward the elderly chief by himself, without any support from his men. The chief herself seems to have the same idea, as she orders her riders to pick off the men under Rudo instead. Soon, the two of them approach each other, one with a spear, and one with a curved blade

    CLANG!

    Their weapon clashes, briefly illuminates the night through the flash of clanking metals. The two riders are now apart from each other, but it doesn¡¯t seem like both of them are hurt. This is merely for testing water - the two of them thought. In the next blow, the result won¡¯t be a draw.

    But that¡¯s not what Rudo wants. Looking at his men, he feels a chill down his spine as another group of riders with bow on their hands approach his men. The formation may keep the riders from completely annihilate his men, but the archers will put a stop to that. So of course, Rudo must put a stop for all of this before it¡¯s too late.

    -Stop! This is all a misunderstanding ! We are not here to fight you!

    Rudo yells. Even so, that does not put a halt to Nephele¡¯s blood lust. Ignoring the plea of her enemy, the chief of the Aherin tribe continues to attack. There¡¯s no need for her to listen to the words of her tribe¡¯s enemy, but the truth is much more complicated than that, something Nephele is not aware of, which prompts her shoot her horses off the ground and flies toward Rudo like an arrow, with her blade as the arrowhead.

    CLANG

    Rudo barely blocks her blow, enough to keep him alive, but not enough to keep the balance of himself and his own horse. He finds himself blown away along with his horse from the sheer physical force from an old woman¡¯s attack. The horse stumbles for a moment, but quickly finds its feet again to help its master. Even so, that brief window is enough for Nephele to decide the fight, as she already has a follow up attack prepared to strike down Rudo before her opponent can get back up and retaliate.

    CLANG!

    But it seems like fate itself has yet want Rudo to die, as someone else interferes before Nephele can deliver the killing blow. His crystal sword glows like sunlight in the dark, just as bright as the mark of God on his right hand. Of all the people in this world, the bandit leader Rudo does not expect a chosen hero of Lielos would be the one to save his ass from the reach of Death.

    -What is the meaning of this, Hero?

    Nephele asks, still with her curved sword in hand. Meanwhile, Fino, the hero in question, has already sheathed his crystal blade, seeing no further use of it, even with his back turning to the leader of a bandit band that he is actually aware about. Both Rudo and Nephele can¡¯t tell whether this is bravery or foolishness.

    Still with his hand holding the rein of his horse, Fido replies Nephele¡¯s question.

    -He told you to stop. If he has something to say, let him say before we decide it¡¯s better to talk with our blade than with our tongue.

    -Are you mad!? He is the group of bandits seeking to destroy my people¡¯s village! We need to stop him before he lay waste to my home!

    The man in question rides his horse closer the hero, still with his spear in hand, not to strike an unexpected attack to the hero¡¯s back, but to defend himself in case the Aherin chief does not feel like being reasonable.

    -To clarify, we did not attack your caravan, neither did we send you a warning letter. All of us were played by another! Stop killing my men, your own village is in danger!

    Rudo yells, even so, the Aherin chief still maintains her hostile gaze at the bandit leader. The only one standing between her and the chief¡¯s head is the young hero, also the same reason why she has yet to rush at Rudo and finish the job she started. The hero and the chief exchange stares, from what she can gather, it does not seem like the Hero Fino has any intention to continue the raid at the bandits.

    -Do you trust this man? Truth or not, he¡¯s still the leader of a bandit group. For all I can tell, this maybe a ploy to get us drop our guard and become their easy prey.

    Says Nephele.

    -He helped us when he has no reason to, that¡¯s why I¡¯ll trust him even if I have no reason to.

    The chief sighs, she looks irritated for good reason, but nonetheless, with a chosen Hero standing in her way, there¡¯s not much she can do but to oblige. With a blow of her whistle, the riders stop attacking the bandit group, but they still remain vigilant, watching every step they make take and have their weapons ready when things start to look bad for them.

    -Bringing you here may have been a bad idea¡­

    In the meantime, Fino and the bandit leader exchange gazes, the one-eyed man does not believe he have an ally in such an unexpected time and place, but he does not let the amazement stop him from explaining the truth.

    -I am Rudo, of the Rudo Bandits. We may be a bandit group, but we did not attack your caravan, neither did we declare an intent to attack your village. We have no reason to pick a fight with a mighty Beastmaster tribe so far out of our operating zone. But someone else did, they provoked your tribe by attacking your caravan, and us by claiming our name to perform the deed. Your tribe and my group fighting here was what they want all along. Your village is probably under attack by them right now, if we are not hurry, there may be nothing left for you to save.

    The chief is puzzled, half believing half doubting the words coming from the mouth of a bandit leader, the kind that lead men to raze villages for women and riches. That being said, some of his words make sense, fitting the doubt Nephele had before she decided to settle the problem away from her village. If what Rudo said is true, then the current situation is grimmer than she thought.

    -Men! We ride back! Our home is in danger!

    Nephele decides to play a gamble with a coin flip, and she chooses the safety of her village as the bet. All of her men ride away from the bandits and follow her lead to return for the defense of their home. Nephele does not even say any words to the Hero waiting behind, as if she does not care whether his help would be needed or not. Or maybe, she is just confident the strength of her men alone would be enough.

    In the end, Fino finds himself abandoned behind, with the Rudo Bandits regrouping with their leader. With a smile, Fino speaks.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    -Well, that was awkward! So your name is Rudo, right? I finally know. Nice to meet you, Rudo, and thanks for your help earlier.

    -No, thank you for your trust. If you didn¡¯t speak up, my men would be slaughtered, and so will her people.

    Rudo replies. There¡¯s a smile behind this man¡¯s rugged beard.

    -I¡¯m sorry, but don¡¯t thank me just yet.

    Suddenly, Fino stops smiling, replacing it with a saddened expression, and eyes that resemble a warrior preparing for battle, expressed by him unsheathing his crystal sword.

    -You were right about one thing: if luck favors us, we will never meet again. But it seems like both of our luck has run out.

    A light radiates from the inside of Fino¡¯s crystal sword, it¡¯s as bright as the moon in the sky, putting the bandits gathering around Rudo a step backward from its sudden appearance.

    -My name is Sera Fino of the Empyrean Mercenaries, and I am here to destroy the Rudo Bandits.

    Rudo¡¯s expression doesn¡¯t change much, no eyebrow batting, no dropping sweat, as if he expected this moment would eventually come, maybe he did the moment he met the Hero back in the Elowen forest. Nonetheless, nothing could change his inevitable fate, the last thing he could do is to stand tall and face it like a man should.

    And thus, Rudo draws his spear, and prepares for battle.

    -Isn¡¯t a Hero¡¯s job is to protect the people? The Aherin¡¯s village is under attack, and you decide to waste your time on me and my band?

    -Their riders are strong, and so is the companion I left behind in their village. Her help would keep the village standing long enough until the chief¡¯s riders return. I believe in her!

    -I see.

    Rudo closes his eyes in preparation for what is to come, but his men don¡¯t allow it as they rush forward to shield Rudo away from the reach of Fino¡¯s sword, all with weapons in their hands and determination in their eyes.

    -You will have to go through us before you can reach our Boss!

    For a brief moment, Fino sees the brave men who fought and died by Origen¡¯s side, but reality quickly hits him as the men before him are not the brave soldiers fighting for the good of the Alliance, but mere bandits seek to kill and steal whatever they can lay their hands on. Yet those same bandits are trying to protect their leader like a soldier would for his general. For what reason do these bandits have such a loyalty to Rudo?

    -Stop, all of you will die if you face a Hero, and I don¡¯t want anyone of you to throw your life for a dead man. If it¡¯s the Rudo Bandits that he want, then I, Rudo, has to face him alone! My death will mark the end of the Rudo Bandits, whether you continue to pursue our ideal, or lower yourselves to become real bandits are up to you.

    Leaving his men behind, Rudo rides his horse forward and faces the Hero, but Fino has yet to attack, before they begin, there¡¯s something he wants to know first.

    -Why would an honorable man like you resort to banditry like this?

    Asks Fino.

    -There are many things that would drive the strongest man to a desperate path, losing your wife and daughter is one of them.

    -What?

    Fino mutters in surprise.

    -Before I was drafted to Metallum¡¯s army, I was married to a woman, plain but devoted. Together, we had a daughter, she was barely a year old the day the enlist officer came knocking on my door. And I found myself standing in a strange land far away from home and family. I told myself: If I put all my effort to the war, maybe the war will soon end, and I¡¯ll eventually reunite with my family. But the truth was bleaker than I thought it would.

    Somehow, Fino understands what Rudo is implying. After all, he was present in the days before Origen¡¯s breakthrough that once again sparked the flame of war across the Eostre continent, but before Origen¡¯s impact¡­

    -Soldiers became errand boys instead of fighting demons like they should be. I tried to climb the rank only to find I am in charge of digging holes just so the noble generals can have a comfortable place to shit! The most contact a common soldier could do to their enemy was watching them from afar and hope all of them instantly drop dead. But that was wishful thinking, the war was there, but no one bothered to fight it, while the army still enlisted men to keep up the illusion they were fighting for a just cause. And that¡¯s when I decided to give up, I deserted the army, and with some help from my former comrades, I got on a boat to return to my homeland¡­

    Rudo gives his talk a pause before continue, for a good reason.

    -¡­only to find my town barren, my house burned down, my wife laid bare on the ground as a burnt corpse with my daughter embraced within her hands. I didn¡¯t remember much, but I can remember a rage filling all of my blood veins at first, until I calmed down and seek the one responsible. From the talk in a nearby village, I found the culprit to be a notorious bandit gang operating in the area for sometimes, but never been hunted down by the army. And I did what I had to, I seek revenge. Let¡¯s just say in the aftermath, my left eye wasn¡¯t the only thing I lost, my hope also died that day as I skewer the leader of those scums of the earth.

    Rudo touches the eye-patch covering his lost left eye as he resumes his tale.

    -Even with the death of the bandits, my vengeance is yet to complete. The true problem lies in the incompetence of the current King of Metallum. He decided a ghost war was more worthy of his attention than the welfare of his subjects. If no one is going to drag him down, then I will. Gathering my old comrades who share the same sentiment as I am, we ventured to this continent, seeking to increase our strength and influence. We started hunting rich towns, but not without sending a warning prior to see whether there are any who would be willing to throw their lives away to protect their home. We recruited those people, and stole from those who left everything behind in their escape. Little by little, we will become stronger and stronger, until we can become a force strong enough to drag down the incompetent King currently ruling Metallum. But it would seems Fate itself isn¡¯t on my side. No, it¡¯s already on your side from the start, Hero.

    Fino stares at the bandit leader, his thirst for battle has died down a bit, but he has yet to sheathe his crystal sword.

    -You have my sympathy, but you won¡¯t have my forgiveness. Whatever justice you¡¯re seeking, trying to bring more bloodshed to the land of man won¡¯t solve anything.

    -Said the Hero with spotless honor, seeking to bring justice to the mortal soldier turned despicable bandit.

    Fino falls silent from Rudo¡¯s words.

    -People call me by many titles, Hero, idiot, idiotic Hero, some true, some false, but spotless honor is farthest away from the truth. People revere Heroes like an existence outside of their world, but deep down, my blood is just as red as yours.

    Sharpness returns to Fino¡¯s eyes as he loudly yells.

    -I have a dream! That is one day, there will be peace in the land of man! Something so simple, yet unachievable for a thousand year. I knew killing Demon Kings won¡¯t solve anything since I was young. And so, I asked for my childhood friend¡¯s aid, to make both of our vision come true. By the time I was ready, he was running a newly established mercenary company, with me as its sole fighter. The first step was always the hardest, how can a no name mercenary company reach the shore of Eostre without any reputation and money in hand? We didn¡¯t have many choice, or rather, we did, but my friend picked the choice that helped us build our fame the fastest, a choice I always regret making.

    -Just what did you do?

    Says Rudo as his own curiosity gets the better of him.

    -We took the job to quell a farmer rebellion. Yes, the first blood I had on my hand wasn¡¯t the blood of evil demons, but the blood of innocent farmers instead. People who rose up to fight against the injustice of a King ignorant of his subject¡¯s need, the current King of Metallum. And I slew them all. At first, I vehemently objected to this kind of job, but I was still inexperienced back then, I failed to convince my friend, or maybe I just too ignorant to think I can make our dream come true without dirtying my hand and . When I faced again the angry farmers by myself, I attempted to negotiate, I tried my best to tell them I don¡¯t want a fight, on how people would be hurt if they use force to get what they want. But desperate farmers were desperate farmers, they care not about talk of peace, nor a Hero with a chosen mark, they wanted the death of the King, everything else is irrelevant. And I did what I must as they point their pitchfork toward me, seeing me as another obstacle to overcome.

    Fino closes his eyes as he try not to get too sentimental about what happened in his past.

    -I blamed my friend for choosing this job, but also myself for directly took part in their death. We were young, and were in need of prestige and resources to make our vision come true. Thanks to us, the King continues to live, unknowingly causing more and more tragedies by days. But no matter what, we didn¡¯t believe killing the King would achieve anything but chaos. We paid the cost for a chance to make a difference, to defeat the Demons, to end the war, and to prevent further tragedies from happening. With whatever honor I have left, I swear I will make a world where people won¡¯t need to fight another!

    Fino¡¯s sword glows even brighter. Solais, the Sword of Purity, legends tell only one with a pure heart can wield the sword, let alone use it. Yet even Fino himself is surprised after all he went through he can still hold and use the legendary sword. Was it because of pure belief in his cause, pure determination, or simple pure foolishness? Even Fino cannot tell, but as long as he can hold his sword, the young Hero will make his vision a reality.

    -Grand ideal for a na?ve Hero, I guess that is to be expected. But ideals right now no longer matter. Do what you must, Hero, as I would do mine. Even if fate itself is on your side, I will not back down! Only one of us can walk out of this alive!

    No longer feeling a need to talk, the bandit leader rides his horse and charges at the hero. He points his spear toward Fino, the long weapon certainly gives him more advantage when compared to the hero¡¯s sword. Fino himself also charge forward, with his sword by his side. The two riders quickly clashes with each other.

    And in a flash, Fino finishes the fight with a slash by Rudo¡¯s chest, cutting through the steel spear on Rudo¡¯s hand. It is over in the blink of an eye, even the bandits cannot believe their leader was effortlessly cut down like that. The two riders ride far away from each other. Even though blood is flowing through the wound on his chest, Rudo has yet to fall, but it won¡¯t be much longer, the wound is fatal, he is having the last breath of his life.

    -If only¡­Origen did his rebellion¡­sooner¡­then maybe¡­I would still have¡­a purpose.

    Rudo falls down on the back of his horse, finally succumbs to the wound from the brief clash. All of his former underlings yell his name as they rush to his side, ignoring the hero who did the deed¡­but not for long, as soon as the grief is gone, the feeling of vengeance now fill their heart, and the former Rudo bandits now point their weapons at Fino in search of revenge.

    -The Rudo Bandits died with Rudo. If you are going to attack me, may I ask what group of bandits are you?

    Fino¡¯s statement is very vague, considering he is standing in front of the remnants of the Rudo Bandits, but the wiser members are quick to catch on what he¡¯s attempting to do, or rather, what their leader Rudo attempted to do by challenging the Hero alone. They tell the more furious members to back down and retreat, together with Rudo¡¯s corpse by their side. Luckily, they are quick to understand and follow along to take care of the remain of their leader. Their future is ambiguous with the death of Rudo, but they certainly won¡¯t cross path with Fino again. His job here at the Suntos continent is done, giving him another regret in his life. But that is reserved for the future, when his vision become reality, that when he¡¯ll allow himself the leisure to feel regret.

    -Now then, back to the village.

    Fino rides his horse back to the way he came from. The Aherin riders must be close to their home as of now, together with the help from Elisha to defend the village, maybe his help won¡¯t be needed, but he still have to go back. Strong as he is, Fino is not omniscient. Fate is his ally, but that doesn¡¯t mean it is an ally to his own allies. There could be something unexpected that would happen, the more reason why he should return fast.

    For some reason, there¡¯s a bad feeling inside my heart¡­

 Chapter 63: The Slaughter Ground

    The entrance to the Aherin tribe is scarcely, but fiercely, guarded by the remaining warriors of the tribe in the cold night. Certainly there are better things to do when the sun is down, but all the remaining warriors won¡¯t try to guard the entrance if not out of necessity. The village is currently more vulnerable than ever, the chief is gone together with most of their men, leaving the elderly, women and children under the care of twenty warriors, almost half of them are still greenhorns ignorant to the path of warfare. Even so, they have to take arms, for if a situation arise where the village is in danger, they will have to give everything they got to see their home make through unharmed.

    And as if dictated by fate¡¯s book of irony, the expected attack eventually comes when the scouts catch sight of strange activities in the Steppe, only to realize there are thirty bloodthirsty bandits approaching their village under the revelation of the moonlight.

    -Bandit attack! Prepare for battle!

    A more experienced warrior gives orders to his men. The scouts sound the gong, signaling the retreat for noncombatants to the back of the village. The experienced warriors are already on horseback, they fight better this way with their animal companions by their side, while the greenhorns fight with their bow, something they were taught and practiced since childhood. Even with only twenty of them, certainly these people won¡¯t give up their village without a fight.

    -Is everyone all right? Anybody injured?

    When all the women and children in the vicinity are running to the back side, one girl has the gall to run to the other, asking the tribe warriors of their welfare like it¡¯s the most normal thing to do under a bandit raid. And she is not simply a girl, rather a catgirl, with a priestess white robe unfit to stand among the nomad tribesmen. With such a mismatch, it¡¯s no wonder the tribesmen don¡¯t take her presence well.

    -What are you doing here? Go back along with the others!

    A mounted rider approaches Elisha, most likely the leader of the village¡¯s defenders.

    -Enemies are coming, and I want to help! I can heal the wounded, and I also know some offensive spells as well.

    Says Elisha with a firm voice as she holds still her staff to harden her resolve. But even so, her mental strength is not enough to sway the rider¡¯s opinion of the stranger in front of him.

    -Your help is appreciated but not needed. This isn¡¯t some grandiose war where people need medical attention at every waking moment. The men of Aherin are not so weak they¡¯ll die from a losing a bit of blood!

    -Even so, my presence here can prevent further deaths. I promise I won¡¯t get in the way!

    Yet despite all her protest, the Aherin rider does not buy her resolve.

    -You being here is enough to get in our way. The following battle will be hectic, if you find yourself in danger, I won¡¯t be able to spare any men to help you, and they won¡¯t fight as well knowing there¡¯s still one non-combatant behind their back.

    -But¡­!

    The rider holds out his hand to stop Elisha¡¯s rebuttal.

    -If you want to make yourself useful, go and check on our people in the back of the village. All of our remaining warriors have gathered here, if something happens over there, we won¡¯t be able to react fast enough. Do what we can¡¯t, go reassure them, and protect them if any threat appears.

    As the rider finishes his sentence, the yelling of the hostiles bandits starts to get louder and louder. The archers release a volley of arrows, stopping the bandits in track, but only temporarily.

    -Go, now!

    The rider draws his sword and leads the others into battle. Soon, blood starts to flow from the clashes of the nomads and the bandits. Elisha can only stare for a brief moment before reluctantly retreats to do what is asked of her.

    -Please be safe! All of you!

    Yells Elisha as she runs to the back, away from all the bloodshed. The restrictive environment of the village prevents the riders from utilizing the mobility of being on horseback, but this is their home, Elisha wants to believe they have the strength to protect it. They are doing their job, thus, she also has to do hers.

    Most of the yurts on the way have been abandoned by the fleeing tribeswomen. While she knows it is meaningless, Elisha also tries to look inside the yurts near her path to check whether there are still anyone else left behind for any reasons. It¡¯s better safe than sorry, she thinks. Luckily, she finds no sleeping kids nor sickly elders inside any of the yurts, the tribeswomen have evacuated well, probably thanks to their experience as nomads. With that in mind, Elisha continues her run with hope that everything will end well.

    But her newfound hope is quickly crushed as a scream arrives from afar, followed by a flock of women and elders running away from¡­something. Surprised, Elisha tries to ask one of them, only for the terrified woman to reply:

    -Bandits! They came from the back! Run while you can!

    The woman hurriedly runs away after giving Elisha the answer she wants. A small drop of sweat flows down of the black-haired catgirl¡¯s cheek as she firmly holds her golden staff and runs toward the source of the scream. When she arrives, the first thing she sees is an elderly woman falling to the ground, exhausted from all the running forth and back, but before Elisha can offer a helping hand, the elderly woman is killed by a long axe down her back, from the hand of a thuggish man with a fur coat covering his naked upper body. The man following behind him is no different in attire and weapon. The way their eyes leer at Elisha is enough for her to know these guys are no nomads.

    -Uuuu, nice catch. To stumble upon a beastgirl in this kind of place, the Boss will be pleased.

    -I can see she¡¯s stacked beneath her holy robe. That would certainly fetch a high price.

    The bandit retrieves his long axe from the elder woman¡¯s back. His lack of reaction as he lifts the blood dripping axe away from her back is enough to spell out his ultimate fate. Elisha finds her heart pierced by a hot needle, fueling a fire inside her gentle heart.

    -Why¡­did you kill her?

    -The hag? It¡¯s not like I have a reason to let her live. Nobody would bother to spend their coins on her anyway. You, on the other hand, would strike us rich.

    Says the bandit with the bloodied long axe.

    -Try not to rough her too much, buyers won¡¯t like it when their slave got a few scars.

    Ignoring the following words said by the other bandit, Elisha is visibly shaking from anger. The bandits themselves also know the golden staff on her hands is not for show, despite their desire to get a hold of it to sell for some quick cash. They rush at Elisha with their weapons in hand in an attempt to capture her.

    -Unforgivable!

    Elisha¡¯s left hand glows, she holds her hand out to the air and conjures a light barrier out of nothing. The bandits draw their weapons and attack the barrier, but their weapons bounce off the barrier as if they are hitting a wall. The bandits realize they could go around the barrier to attack Elisha from behind, but the catgirl herself is aware of her barrier¡¯s weakness, that is why she decides to strike first.

    Elisha pushes her left hand out, and the barrier moves in consecutive, slamming itself at the bandits like a moving wall. The bandits get caught in surprise and fall down to the ground, then Elisha follows up with her barrier crushing the downed bandits like an iron ball of pain. The impact creates a crack on the ground, leaving the bandits unconscious with blood flowing out of their mouth, and preferably with half of their bones broken. Even so, they still draw breath, wounded, but life still remain within their breath.

    Even after all their crime, Elisha can¡¯t bring herself to take away a life. It maybe justice, but it¡¯s not her justice. The teachings for a Maiden do encourage fighting to protect oneself, but not to take away the life of your adversaries, for that is a warrior¡¯s job, not a Maiden¡¯s. The justice awaiting them will be one of the Aherin people, Elisha¡¯s current job right now is to ensure the tribe¡¯s survival until that time.

    -There¡¯re probably more. I need to stop them.

    Elisha mumbles to herself before she rushes off to do what¡¯s needed to be done. Most of the women and elders seem to have already fled to the front, saving for a few who¡¯s probably caught up by the bandits. With that in mind, Elisha pours all of her strength to her legs, trying to search for anyone who needs her help.

    There is sound of weapons clashing ahead of her, accompanied by children¡¯s scream. When Elisha arrives, she sees one of chief Nephele¡¯s maid fighting against several bandits by herself, covering the escape of the tribe¡¯s herbalist and the sickly children under her care. The maid is using a curved sword, she swiftly dodges the crude attacks of the bandits and counters by exploiting their opening and delivers a quick but decisive killing strike. Even so, their numbers put her at a disadvantage, not to mention she¡¯s still need to provide protection to the herbalist and the children.

    -Ahh!

    The young girl with twin braid trips and falls to the ground. Her face looks pale, all this running certainly isn¡¯t good for a child who caught a flu. Terrified, the herbalist leaves the other two children and rushes toward the girl, trying to get her up. One bandit sees this as an opportunity to attack and detaches himself away from his fellow bandits. The maid tries to help, but she is prevented from doing so by the remaining bandits. Seeing the bloodlust in the bandit¡¯s eyes, the herbalist shields the sickly child with her body, preparing herself for the descent of the bandit¡¯s long axe.

    But Elisha is here, and she won¡¯t fail to save another like she did earlier.

    -Get out!

    Light flashes from Elisha hand, creating a faint forcefield to push the bandit and his axe away from the herbalist. Elisha approaches the herbalist, telling her it¡¯s okay, and casts a healing spell on the girl with twin braid. The green light emits from her hand returns some life to the child¡¯s pale face. It won¡¯t cure her sickness outright, but it will give her enough strength to run to safety.

    -Thank you! Thank you very much, my lady! I apologize for what happened earlier, this is one debt I could never repay you!

    The old herbalist is on the verge of tears, and Elisha has to intervene before she starts bowing her head.

    -Just get the children to safety, I¡¯ll try to deal with the bandits.

    The herbalist nods as she helps the girl get up to run away, while Elisha herself approaches the maid to help her fight off the bandits.

    -Thanks for the help. The bandits¡¯ arrival is certainly unexpected, but we may have a chance to live through today.

    Elisha nods, completely in agreement with the maid. She is here to help, not to give up. The maid readies her sword, while Elisha also prepares her golden staff to face off against the bandits. If two of them work together, living through this ordeal won¡¯t be a mere fantasy. The bandits themselves start to get wary of the young girls standing on their path. These aren¡¯t defenseless women, they think. Sweat drops down from their cheek as they hold their weapons in preparation for the next move.

    But suddenly, their worriedness disappear from their face, replaced by a smirk instead. The young girls do not understand of the bandits¡¯ sudden transition in expression, only until they look back and see at the same direction as the bandits.

    -Ahhhhhh!!!

    The herbalist screams on the top of her lungs as a sword bigger than her stabs her through her chest. Wringing out the last of her strength, the herbalist tries to call for help, but the life inside her gives out as the assailant tosses her away from his sword like a piece of rag. The owner of the giant sword is a muscular man as big as his own slab of iron he calls a sword, his hair is long and filthy like a barbarian, there¡¯s black eyepatch on his left eye, he¡¯s wearing a coat made of wolf fur to cover his hair-filled chest. Whatever he is, Elisha can feel he¡¯s the leader of these bandits. Aside from him, he is accompanied by three underlings, each of them taking a hold of the children under the late herbalist¡¯s care, all at knifepoint. Rage and sadness alone can¡¯t describe what Elisha is feeling, but those can be said about the maid¡¯s reaction.

    -You bastard!

    The maid yells in a fit of anger as she rushes at the bandit leader with her sword in hand. Elisha tries to stop her, but she is too slow to make any difference. Her voice can¡¯t reach the rage-filled nomad maid as she jumps to the air for a diving attack.

    But the rage does her no good aside from clouding her judgment, being on the air makes her an easy target, and the bandit leader exploits that. He swings his huge sword with the speed of a knife, breaking through her fragile sword and cleaves her into half. Blood drenches the land as her remaining body parts fall down, immobile. The bandit leader expresses pity, but not a concern from the bottom his heart, far from it.

    -Well, that¡¯s a waste of a beauty.

    His three underlings laugh like it¡¯s the most normal thing in the world, even with the children in their grasp, threatened with knives by their throat. Elisha finds her rage starting to dictate her action, and manages to calm herself down lest it leads her to a quick death. Even so, she cannot find any solution to escape being surrounded by bandits and their leader, with children as their hostages.

    One of them exploits her hesitation and approaches to capture her, but there¡¯s still some wit left inside her even when her head is clouded with fear and confusion. Elisha smashes the man¡¯s head with her staff and pushes him away from her with a spell. It is effective enough to prevent further recklessness from the bandits, but it won¡¯t matter in the long run, Elisha is still trapped with no way out.

    -Drop your staff, or the brats die.

    Mutters the bandit leader, with a smirk on his face. He won, and he knows it. The sickly children cry as they are threatened by the bandits. Elisha knows the moment she drops her staff, she¡¯ll lose, but she doesn¡¯t have any choice but to lose. Yet still, there¡¯s some fighting spirit left inside her, her hands are trembling, but they have yet to fail her and drop her only weapon.

    -Or are you implying a holy woman like you care about your life more than the lives of these brats?Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Only at this moment does Elisha know she is lost. Risk her life fighting the bandits, and the children will die. Maybe she¡¯ll live after defeating them, but knowing her victory is paid by the lives of innocent children will only torment her for the rest of her life.

    And so, Elisha drops her golden staff, submitting herself to the mercy of the bandits, if they still have any.

    -Ahahahaha! Works all the time! Only a heartless monster would ignore a child¡¯s plea for help!

    The bandit leader drops his hand down to make a signal, but Elisha doesn¡¯t care, she¡¯s already lost. It¡¯s only natural she would just stand there just to have her head hit by a wooden log under the hands of a bandit.

    Elisha falls down, her head is bleeding, blinding her left eye with her own blood as her consciousness starts to fade away. Before her vision fades completely into black, Elisha manages to make one last prayer.

    Fino¡­help¡­

    ¡­.

    Elisha wakes up. Only her god knows how many time has passed ever since the bandit¡¯s attack, but when her vision returns she sees the sky is still dark. It looks like today has yet to end, and the bandits are still inside the Aherin¡¯s village¡­or what¡¯s left of it.

    Yurts destroyed and burnt, bodies of the tribe¡¯s fallen defenders carelessly laid out on the ground as if to prepare a feast for the vultures. Elisha finds her hands tied, along with ten young tribeswomen and several children sobbing together inside a ring of guarding bandits. The bandit leader is sitting away from the group of captives, sitting on the fanciest chair he found among the loot, with two bandits standing nearby to guard his well-being. The bandits that aren¡¯t either guarding the captives or guarding their leader are busy trying to dig up all the loots they can find from the ravaged yurts. It seems like attacking this village for them is the same as digging out a gold mine, as there are many valuable things the Aherin tribe has in possession thanks to their trade with the Merchant city of Aurum in the north. And certainly treasures and valuables are not jewelry and money alone, but also the girls they captured.

    -Now we don¡¯t have to worry about crashing the bars for the following year, boys!

    All the bandits cheerfully yell out loud after all the murders and looting of this village. Even the pain in her head wound pales in comparison to the pain in her heart, to see good people murdered for vices and petty reasons.

    -Enough of this!

    Elisha yells. Her hands are tied, but not her feet, as if the bandits are trying to dare the captives to escape from their grasp, looking for an excuse to do whatever they like to the escapee. But Elisha isn¡¯t trying to escape, she brazenly faces the bandit leader, with enough bravery to impress the leader to refrain from ordering his men to detain the catgirl immediately.

    -What did these people do to you to deserve this fate?

    -Nothing.

    The bandit leader bluntly replies.

    -Nothing¡­all these bloodshed¡­for nothing?

    -Just what sort of hole in this world did you come from, mutt? Do bandits need a reason to raid and pillage? I guess holy people do expect a reason in every action people make. But the truth is very simple, we do this because we can, plus money for bars and wenches, of course! Ahahaha!

    The bandit leader drinks up whatever liquor he found in the village, leaving Elisha in awe and disgust.

    -You¡­monster! You disgusting monster! I hope you die the most painful death possible!

    -They didn¡¯t teach you how to properly cuss at the church? That¡¯s one more thing to complain about those pretentious bitches.

    The bandit leader laughs, brushing Elisha¡¯s insult aside like a child¡¯s whimper.

    -Look, mutt. If you¡¯re talking about honor and reason and shit, you¡¯re talking to the wrong bandit. Although at this point, I doubt Rudo is alive to hear your sermon.

    The bandit takes out the eye-patch covering his left eye, revealing a perfectly healthy eye underneath. Elisha wonders why did he put an eye-patch over his intact eye at first, until she remembers the name Rudo that came from his mouth. Only at this point does she understand everything.

    -You lured the Aherin tribe to attack the real Rudo Bandits, while you exploited their absence to attack their village¡­

    -That bastard always expects there are honor among thieves, I only did him a favor by allowing him to die in honorable combat, while we, the real bandits, make a living for ourselves. There¡¯s nothing wrong in that, isn¡¯t it?

    Elisha grinds her teeth. Her teachings did not allow her to be angry, and neither would her gentle heart, but she can¡¯t escape the feelings filling her fragile body. With all her rage, Elisha yells out loud.

    -Despicable! You¡¯re the most despicable person I have ever met! May you never find peace in the afterlife!

    -Now this is getting boring. Someone shut this mutt up, please?

    Heeding the order of his boss, a bandit approaches Elisha and kicks her in the back, making her fall down to ground, and grinds her head on the dirt with his dust-filled shoe. Even so, there¡¯s still a fiery fire inside her eyes, the eyes of someone who won¡¯t yield to injustice.

    -This is wasteful. If you order me, I¡¯ll prepare the beastgirl for you to punish her later.

    Says a bandit guarding the leader as he watches the brutal treatment of Elisha.

    -Though I am a thieving and murderous bastard, even I have standards. Just thinking there¡¯s the blood of beasts inside her veins is disgusting enough.

    -I¡¯m sure some of ours won¡¯t mind, a few would even revel in that particular part.

    -Well thank the gods I wasn¡¯t born a sick bastard instead.

    The bandit leader knocks all of the liquor he has down his throat and smashes the cup to the ground.

    -About time we wrap this up. Take this any longer and we¡¯ll have angry nomads chasing our asses.

    -We captured more girls than we needed, not to mention the brats. They will strike us rich, if we can get them to the Alareiks Empire in the South.

    Says a bandit guard. He seems to be the bandit leader¡¯s advisor.

    -The Aherin knows the Steppe better than we do, I won¡¯t take any chances with them. Their price won¡¯t be as high in Aurum¡¯s black market, but better than nothing. Take only the prettiest ones, tell the men to do what they want with the rest and kill them afterward along with the brats.

    The moment Elisha hears about the killing of Aherin people, she starts acting up and struggles with all her might in an attempt to make a change. Even with a bandit¡¯s boot repeatedly kicking her head, Elisha does not give up, not even the thought of giving up once crosses her mind.

    -Stop! Don¡¯t you dare touch them! I won¡¯t allow it! Arhhh!

    Elisha groans in pain when her tormentor thinks her head is too hard to kick, and starts kicking her stomach instead, which proves to be more effective than he thought. That kick manages to shut her down for a brief moment, but the bandit knows it won¡¯t take long until she starts blabbering again.

    -What about her, boss?

    -Do what you guys want with her, I don¡¯t care.

    A grin appears on the bandit¡¯s mouth, just like some other bandits. The tormentor drags Elisha up from the ground as a few others start to approach her. The look in their eyes when Elisha meets their gaze is enough for her to know what to expect, and it certainly won¡¯t be very pleasant for a maiden.

    -No¡­stay away¡­stay away from me! Kyaahhh!

    The barbaric bandits tear Elisha¡¯s holy robe to pieces, even with the bruises inflicted on her body, Elisha¡¯s white skin still retains parts of her hidden beauty, but what good is beauty when it turns her into a dish served on a plate for these beasts in human form to consume? They hold her down and lock her legs and shoulders with their powerful grip strength, stopping her struggle altogether. They even have the decency to prepare a cloth in case she starts biting her own tongue to end it all.

    -Stop! Somebody! Help me! Please¡­help me!

    Those are her last words before her mouth is gagged. Tears flow down from her eyes as she waits for the inevitable. Her prayers not answered, her saviors are nowhere in sight, her hope fails her, leaving only despair behind. Will anyone extend a hand to help? Will there¡¯s still anyone with the strength to fight back against the injustice of these bandits?

    There is one, but not the one Elisha expects to be.

    Someone arrives from the sky with the force of a falling meteor, leaving a cloud of dust behind from their landing. Elisha feels the splattering of blood, the shattering of bones and the smashing of meat. Her well-kept skin is now drenched in streams of blood. Even she does not know what¡¯s going on, aside from the arrival of someone, and the quick and brutal death of the bandits.

    And then, the cloud of dust fades, the identity of her rescuer is revealed under the moonlight. A tall girl with long red hair, wearing clothing of a Aherin nomad woman, only tattered and dirtied with a heavy stench of dried blood, not to mention many holes that look like she was attacked by someone before she got here, but beneath those holes, there aren¡¯t any visible wounds on her skin. Her hands however are soaked red, not her blood, but the blood of the bandits she brutally smashed and crushed with her bare hands, leaving unrecognizable messes behind which are hard to identify whether those once belonged to normal human beings.

    It takes her sometimes, but once she does, Elisha finally remembers the identity of her savior, the last person in this world that she would expect to come for her rescue.

    The flame dragon of Melas castle.

    The dragon girl clenches her fists. Her face is also dirtied from dried blood before her arrival here, but even they cannot hide the intense rage and hatred in her crimson eyes.

    -All these atrocities¡­and people call US demons!

    Deborah Draconis yells out loud, almost like a roar. The bandits stand confused, but even they are aware their fellow comrades died by her hands and have already prepared their weapons in retaliation. The captives however seem to have found a new hope, as they know the red-haired girl is their former guest, and she has come for their rescue. In a corner, the three kids who spent a night talking with her also start standing up, secretly cheering the girl who is here for them.

    -Big sis! Go get them, big sis!

    On the bandits¡¯ part, the captive watchers have to start throwing punches and kicks for order to return, but they know they can¡¯t stop the women and children from hoping. The bandit leader grabs his giant sword, while his guards assume battle stance. Whatever the outcome, it certainly will be bloody.

    -Consider this my final act of mercy: Leave, and maybe I¡¯ll let you live.

    Deborah loudly declares, though even she knows this is pointless, because in her experience, everytime she made the same offer, nobody would ever bother to take it up and flee. And just as expected, the bandit leader defiantly slams his giant sword down to the ground.

    -And leave us vulnerable to the Aherin riders? Come on, do you take us for fools? Men! Kill her!

    Under the order of the leader, several bandits gang up on Deborah at once, but her reaction is merely a resigned sigh.

    -Well, this is fine too.

    The fastest bandit approaches her with a spear. He thrusts his spear at her, but Deborah swiftly dodges it, not because she has the superior skill, but merely because she can move faster than he is. Deborah grabs the bandit¡¯s face, and slams it down to the ground as hard as she can. The impact creates a small crater on the ground, destroying the bandit¡¯s head completely, leaving only a pool of blood filling the crater like a man-made pound.

    And at this moment, the bandits know they screwed up.

    Deborah starts taking the initiative, she¡¯s coming for them instead of waiting like a sitting duck. The bandit nearest to her is a very muscular man, bigger than even Deborah, who¡¯s already taller than most. He has a great axe, and is not afraid to use it to cleave Deborah in half. But Deborah does not have the time to let the bandit test his metal, she quickly closes the gap and punches his torso with all of her strength. If her holding back is enough to crush people¡¯s bones, it¡¯s no wonder her full, yet still limited strength, is enough to send half of a giant torso flying into tiny pieces. And this show of power is more effective than any other attempt of intimidation she have ever done before, the remaining few bandits scramble in fear, which only turn them into easy targets for Deborah¡¯s fireballs. When a fireball hit a bandit, they fall to the ground, squirming from pure heat burning their very flesh and bones, until their strength give up, and the dragon fire burns the rest until ashes remain.

    Thus, the few bandits who have yet to turn their tail and run away resort to their final solution: using hostages. They take the children, put a knife by their throat and start making threats.

    -Stop, or I¡¯ll slit her throat!

    One bandit grabs a hold of a young girl in twin braid, with his fellow comrades taking the remaining kids. This trick always works, they thought. She¡¯ll yield, they thought. Nobody is heartless enough to ignore the brats, they thought. But Deborah presses on. She continues walking, with her sharp gaze fixes on the bandits daring enough to stand behind children¡¯s back.

    -STOP! I¡¯LL DO IT FOR REAL! I SWEAR!

    But she does not stop. Even with the fear for the children¡¯s lives is present inside her, Deborah does not yield to the threats the bandits made. Whatever she found in the Arahas desert, it gave her the ruthlessness necessary to ignore her own merciful nature and perform what is demanded of her with efficiency.

    When the bandits realize their trick doesn¡¯t work on Deborah, they resort to carrying out the threat themselves. Their knives reach the kids¡¯ throat, cutting a part of their throat, making them bleed out. But the bandits can¡¯t cut further than a scratch, even when they try their best to command their hand to do the deed, but their hands simply do not obey, they are too busy shaking in fear to respond to their brain¡¯s command. When they turn their gaze upon Deborah, they find the dragon girl¡¯s crimson eyes have been replaced by bloodshot eyes with sclera redder than blood. But that is only for a brief moment, moments later, they can only see a world of flame, with a human shape flame pillar approaching them, above it is a hovering set of fangs and a pair of terrifying fireballs resembling eyes. Whatever they are seeing, they know it¡¯s just an illusion made from their own fear, but they can see anything else otherwise.

    And when Deborah arrives, it¡¯s already too late. She quickly strangles the immobile bandits with a snap by their neck. No one offers any resistance, they are too busy being afraid to move. Ignoring the bandits remains and the equally terrified children and women, Deborah turns her gaze upon the bandit leader, who is now alone without any guards. They abandoned him for their own lives, while the leader stays behind to watch his bandit group destroyed in a blink of an eye because of a lone girl who came out of nowhere.

    -Just¡­what are you¡­!?

    -Your death.

    Fueled by rage, the bandit leader grabs his greatsword and rushes at Deborah. Using all of his strength, he swings his sword at the girl in an attempt to cut his assailant into two separate halves, like what he did with all his enemies before him. But in all of his life, his opponents have always been humans, not a living dragon in flesh and bones.

    CLANK!

    His sword is stopped, the sword tough enough to cut through rocks, wield by someone with enough strength to smash through rocks, and it is still stopped. Deborah successfully blocks the attack with her left arm, protected by dragon scales she conjured out of thin air. In surprise, the bandit leader fails to react as Deborah approaches closer to him and cut both of his arm in one strike from her bare hand. It¡¯s not like her skin itself is tougher than steel and sharper than real swords, she just delivers it with a force as strong as a real sword would, cutting both of the bandit leader¡¯s arms simultaneously, leaving him groaning in pain as blood flows out of what¡¯s left of his arms like a waterfall.

    -ARGHHHH!

    But Deborah¡¯s judgment has yet to end. She grabs him by his cheeks with her left scaled hand while she looks at him in disgust.

    -A quick death is too good for you.

    The fingers grabbing on the bandit leader¡¯s cheeks pierce through his skin and into his mouth like skewers, leaving him struggles in intense pain and suffering, but this is only the start of Deborah¡¯s punishment for him. Deborah conjures a fireball on her right hand, a small one, the size of a ball, enough to fit into someone¡¯s mouth. With a deadpan expression, Deborah shoves the fireball through his mouth and down his throat, despite all the struggling he¡¯s doing to protest. But the deed is done, Deborah releases him away from her grasp, and she watches as he squirms from the fire burning away his throat and internal organs. If he still have his arms, no doubt that he¡¯ll try to ease the pain by caressing his throat with his hands, but seeing him suffering like that without any arms to console himself, it¡¯s both amusing and sad. Only the gods know whether Deborah cut off his arms solely for this to happen.

    -Ittttttt hurtssssss! It hurtttttstsssss soooo muchhhhh!

    The man seems to be at his limit, the fact that he still have enough strength to make barely recognizable sentences is a feat by itself, but for Deborah, that is meaningless. The man is done, nobody can save him, assuming there¡¯s still someone left who have some pity for this despicable bandit.

    -Yuuuuuu monstahhhh! Youuuuuu hartlesssss monstahahhhh! I curssssseeee uuuu! I cusrsssseeee uuuu!

    After a minute of agonizing pain, the man stops moving. His life gives out, leaving behind a corpse being burnt from the inside, and quickly the fire itself spreads to outside, burning away what¡¯s left of this bandit leader. The job is done, the bandits have been defeated, Deborah returns to the side of the Aherin people, the captive women and children, and the priestess catgirl as well.

    However, welcoming her isn¡¯t the cheering for a savior, but the gazes and stares of fear and doubt, both from the women and children, even the catgirl Elisha herself is no exception. When Deborah makes another step further, the children instinctively step back as their body shake from surprise, like one would naturally do in front of a threat to their life. At that moment, Deborah understands the cost she has paid in the desert. Deborah suddenly puts her right arm to touch her chest and mutters.

    -Maybe I am a heartless monster¡­

    Elisha does not understand why Deborah said that. Is she trying to console herself, or trying to reaffirm her role? Whatever that is, Deborah turns her back and leaves the people she saved behind.

    -W-Wait!

    Elisha does not know why, but she finds herself yelling for the dragon girl to stay, but Deborah¡¯s resolve is resolute, not even once does she turn back. Eventually, Deborah vanishes under the night, and the riders of Aherin quickly arrive afterward to deal with the aftermath.

    To Elisha, tonight is a terrible nightmare, but also a glimpse to a dream beyond her own calling as a maiden. The girl herself is not aware of this, but the meeting tonight with Deborah will change her and her own fate forever.

 (Not a chapter) To continue or not

    It''s the end of another arc, so I want to use this opportunity to ask everyone who still have some attention left to spare for this story: Do you want it to continue or not?

    Why am I writing this? Simply because I am tired of the silence that came after everytime I posted a chapter. The more I write, the more I feel like what I did starting to have less and less impact. It''s not easy to write a chapter, especially one in a language different than my own, and make it readable. It takes time and work, but if the payoff isn''t worth it, then I have to ask myself why bother?This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    But seriously, what do you think?

 Chapter 64: The New Life

    When I open my eyes, the world seems like a different place, crystal clear without a hint of defilement.

    Which is not how it was supposed to be, I wear a pair of glasses because my eyesight is bad, not to make myself look intelligent. But I can¡¯t change what my eyes can see. A darkened room illuminated by a ray of morning light sneaking through a crack between the windows. It is too vivid to make that as an illusion. My eyes do not deceive me, that I can be sure.

    But I guess having my eyesight miraculously healed back is not something worth complaining.

    I get up from my bed and instinctively reach out for my glasses, just like how I always do before today. When I wear my glasses, my vision gets more blurry, but eventually, even that blur fades away, and my vision becomes clear once again. This is weird, very weird, but still not even the weirdest thing that I came across in this world. About the real weirdest thing? I¡¯m still trying to find one fitting that trophy, but it¡¯s tough since this place keeps surprising me.

    ¡°Good morning, Mr.Cat¡±

    I say good morning to the lying Mr.Cat on my study desk as I get off from the bottom of the bunk bed.

    ¡°Good morning to you, too. Deborah.¡±

    I say good morning to Deborah.

    But she is not here. Her bed is empty, without any traces of being used for weeks. Her belongings are still in the room, but the girl herself was gone for three days already. What happened at the beach three days ago is still a vivid memory in my mind. I reach for the golden ring in my pocket, still no sign of communication from the other side. Something just feel¡­wrong without Deborah in her room. I guess part of it is because it was her room to begin with, not mine. I feel like a stranger when I¡¯m alone in this room. It¡¯s just not the same without the daily bickering.

    Jeez, three days and I missed her already? I can¡¯t even believe myself.

    Well, standing here and fret won¡¯t do me anything good. I have jobs to do.

    After taking care of personal hygiene, I depart to the main castle. The girl¡¯s dormitory is practically empty, so for the time being, I don¡¯t feel strange walking around the place like I own it. But the main castle is different, after the siege was over, flocks and flocks of soldiers arrived to the castle from the fallen frontlines. A constant military presence was required to defend the rest of the Demon Realm, so Melas Castle has turned from a Military Academy into an army barrack. You simply couldn¡¯t walk a few steps in the main castle without bumping into a demon soldier or two. The men we lost in the siege were quickly replaced by the men we have left in the aftermath, and it¡¯s not the end of them. Every few days there were a few batch of soldiers arrived from the fallen frontline. Stragglers who lost their way in the chaotic battlefield. They returned safely because our soldiers did take efforts to ensure they could return, if not, they were hunted as deserters. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s more honorable to die by the enemy¡¯s blade than your own allies¡¯.

    Anyhow, what¡¯s my role in all of this? Simple, everytime soldiers arrived in the castle, there were bound to be wounded people. And of course, the wounded needed medical treatment. Thing is, practically most of our doctors and medics died in the fire in the storage room during the siege, and of course doctors don¡¯t grow on trees. They needed everyone with any medical knowledge for the treatment of the wounded, even one who only know how to apply bandages over wounds like me. Once again, the storage room was stationed as another temporary hospital. The few doctors who survived took the lead, with the field medics who survived the battlefield took charge of the bulk of the works, while the rest do the menial tasks.

    Everything sounded good in theory, but there was still a lack of experienced alchemists. Most of the storage¡¯s medicines had been burnt to ashes, the rest was running low. And thus they conscripted me and a few others to synthesize more medicines. The soldiers tasked themselves with gathering herbs and other ingredients for us alchemists to do our job, so that¡¯s one plus, but there was simply no end to this. The stress was intense, and that wasn¡¯t good, because we needed to be at our best in order to make workable medicines. But everytime I felt like my body and mind were going to give out, I reminded myself why I was still alive: to make a difference. Compared to fighting Origen, endlessly making medicine was childplay. When there were no ingredients left to make more medicine, we turned to help the other medics in patching the wounds of the soldiers. There was simply no end to this, and according to what I heard, the worst had already been over for a week.

    I managed to hang on for three days, today will be the fourth. I heard some news about several upcoming caravans of supplies from the inner regions in the Demon Realm, so I suppose my job will be easier for the time being.

    And it does. The following morning to afternoon is basically a cakewalk. The supply caravans arrived early this morning from what I heard, carried with them a bunch of medicines made by the Demon Realm¡¯s most talented alchemists. Even I feel envious of their talent, but they save people¡¯s lives, I¡¯m glad they put in their efforts to help. There¡¯s also the arrival of a batch of medical specialists, which greatly reduce my workload by the dozen.

    By afternoon, there¡¯s nothing else left for me to do, and I am given a whole day break. After a quick lunch in the rowdy cafeteria filled with demon soldiers, I retreat to the Student Council Room, the only place aside from Deborah¡¯s room where I can get some silence. Only in this place can I work on my next project in peace.

    I take out from Kardia¡¯s desk a large sheet of paper and spread it out on her desk. There are some drawings on it, but that¡¯s only from the perspective of outsiders. This is the blueprint for my next weapon.

    A semi-automatic rifle, the ¡¸M1 Garand¡¹.

    From my experience during the siege of Melas, I think of myself a rather bad close combatant. One may say I made it out alive all thanks to sheer dumb luck. One thing I learn from it is that I should stay away from close range fighting, I am not a warrior in a world filled with them, so I shouldn¡¯t try to one up them as a warrior. My handguns alone won¡¯t be much effective in longer range, so I decide my next product will be a rifle.

    I too would like to make something automatic, like an assault rifle, but my limited abilities and resources make it simply impossible for the time being. So a rifle, like a sniper rifle, is my next choice. I once saw this gun in a war museum, the rest is simple enough: analyze the memory in my mind and draw it out in a blueprint. There are lots of details that needed to be made though, but it is possible to achieve this by myself.

    There¡¯s also the matter of resources, because alchemists don¡¯t make things out of thin air, those who do are called mages. Luckily, I was once called by the Headmaster about the reward for killing Origen. I asked her not to reveal my name as his killer, because that would only bring forth more troubles than it worth. I simply asked for unrestrictive access and usage of the castle¡¯s material storage¡­or rather what was left of it. Permission granted, of course, so with access of both Kardia¡¯s personal workshop and freedom to take any materials I can get my hand on, it will be much easier to make this project bear fruit.

    ¡°Time to make this shit a reality!¡±

    I mutter out loud to pump myself with energy.

    ¡°Whatcha doing!?¡±

    ¡°Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!¡±

    Suddenly, a voice comes from behind my back, making me scream out loud like a little girl. Thankfully, before I have a chance to reach for my gun and shoot whatever responsible to dead, I just realize the source of that sudden voice is my fellow classmate Caelan...who¡¯s happily munching on a banana, with another bunch of bananas on his other hand.

    Boy, I sure do love surprises¡­

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you seeing a ghost or something?¡±

    Asks the tall guy with orange blonde hair.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m just seeing you.¡±

    While the guy stands there looking confused, I quickly fold my blueprint back and return it to Kardia¡¯s desk.

    ¡°What¡¯s that thing?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­something.¡±

    Technically it is.

    ¡°Okay!¡±

    I sigh. I am half expected he would ask what something is. Considering my experience with him I am more surprised I get it wrong this time.

    ¡°So, what are you doing here?¡±

    I ask the young mean munching on a banana.

    ¡°That¡¯s cold! Your friend here hasn¡¯t seen you for weeks and the first thing you ask is what am I doing here!¡±

    I feel like there¡¯s an comical arrow piercing through my heart. He¡¯s right¡­he¡¯s absolutely right! I am too afraid he¡¯ll see my weapon blueprint that I unconsciously trying to push him away by instinct. Of all people, to realize I was wrong by Caelan¡­

    ¡°You are right, I am sorry¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, you look like you¡¯re fine to me. That alone is good enough. Not seeing you for weeks, me and Iola expected you to die after the siege was over!¡±

    Technically speaking I did¡­

    ¡°Wait, Iola is also here?¡±

    I thought both him and her went home for the new year holiday. I am not surprised if they are here because the Headmaster summoned all the students back in preparation for the war to come.

    ¡°We returned just in time by the end of the siege. Both me and her fought against the humans together with Deborah! Awesome, right!? We were separated from Deborah for a time, but I haven¡¯t seen her later after it was over. I wonder what happened to her. It has already been weeks since then.¡±The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    Is he not aware of what Deborah did, or because Nilrem¡¯s concealment of what happened is working as intended?

    ¡°Well¡­she¡¯s¡­studying abroad for the time being.¡±

    Again, it¡¯s true on a technical level¡­

    ¡°Really? Awesome! As expected of someone smart like her. I hope she will return soon.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, me too. I guess¡­¡±

    I mumble to myself. I both want her to return here as soon as she can and as late as she can. A bit contradicting, I know¡­

    ¡°Anyway, how did you find me this place?¡±

    I ask Caelan.

    ¡°A very nice soldier with bandaged arm taught me the way!¡±

    Geez, I wonder who could that be?

    ¡°Is there any other reasons aside from just saying hello?¡±

    ¡°Ah, right! I am here to relay a message: The school is going to group students into squads. Since me, you, Iola and one other are the fastest students to arrive here, that makes us a squad. I am here to tell you to go and meet our new instructor immediately!¡±

    Immediately? Something this important just can¡¯t come up in a moment¡¯s notice¡­

    ¡°Caelan¡­when did you take this job to relay the message?¡±

    ¡°Yesterday!¡±

    Without any hint of shame, Caelan proudly yells out loud.

    ¡°Then why did it take you till today?¡±

    ¡°I forgot!¡±

    I sigh. The scariest thing is I¡¯m starting to think of this as something totally normal, and it only takes me five minutes from meeting him again after not seeing him for weeks.

    ¡°Though even if I remember, I still don¡¯t know where you were after all those time!¡±

    ¡°You could try knocking on the door of my room.¡±

    The tall guy is stunned, he stands there as if trying to think about the meaning of life in this universe, though I guess it can be less complicated.

    ¡°That¡¯s it! Why didn¡¯t I think of that!?¡±

    I sigh. I guess I should get this going before I go mad from all these talking.

    ¡°So, a new instructor, huh?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I haven¡¯t met the new instructor myself. The one who told me about this was a teacher. He also said that we have to meet the new instructor at the entrance to the Darkwood forest, without bringing any weapons.¡±

    Without weapons¡­? Strange. Still, Darkwood forest again? Perfect place for training, I guess.

    ¡°Okay, I got it. Now could you please wait outside? I still have some cleaning left to do before I can go with you.¡±

    I push Caelan out of the room. The guy is lighter than I thought, not as heavy as someone his height would suggest. The guy seems puzzled, but I close the door before he even has a chance to say anything.

    ¡­

    ¡°So what¡¯s up with all the bananas?¡±

    Together with Caelan, we both nearly arrive at the entrance of the Darkwood forest. The walk isn¡¯t long, but it¡¯s simply uncomfortable to walk among the demon soldiers without people throwing me strange looks to doubt whether I am a human spy or not. The only things that protect me are my Melas cadet black cloak and Caelan¡¯s presence, though maybe Caelan¡¯s bananas already take some of those attention away from me by themselves.

    ¡°These? Gifts from my Uncle!¡±

    Caelan replies. His uncle? From what I can remember, there was someone who has the last name of Eberstark who led the red cloaks during the siege. Wait, that guy who tried to flirt with Nilrem was Caelan¡¯s uncle?

    ¡°Is your uncle¡¯s name is Aitor?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right! How did you know?¡±

    That settles it. Caelan does resemble his uncle in a way, though luckily he doesn¡¯t have his uncle¡¯s attraction to that witch Nilrem¡­

    ¡°I just¡­sort of know.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re strange. Though you have always been strange.¡±

    Caelan is surprisingly sharp in the most unexpected moments.

    ¡°Anyhow, we are here.¡±

    Waiting in front of us are two people, one of them is our lovely shy girl Iola, still as lovely as ever with her black cloak and a simple brown dress, hiding away her a bit bigger than normal bosom. She is standing there looking shy and nervous, although even I would look nervous when the person standing next to me is a two meters tall Orc. Just like a creature out of a fantasy book, the bulky Orc has greenskin from top to bottom, a pair of tusks to make himself look intimidating in case his muscles fail at it. He has long black hair, but they are all braided into strings that give him a tribal look instead of barbaric. Underneath his Melas student cloak is a gray shirt and a black trouser. He is unarmed, likely on the order of the new instructor, but nonetheless he still makes Iola afraid by his mere presence alone.

    ¡°Caelan! And Akuma too! It¡¯s good to see you well!¡±

    Seeing us approaching, Iola eagerly walks toward us as if we are a convenient excuse to run away from the Orc without hurting his feeling.

    ¡°You were not present during the siege and after it was over. I was afraid the worst would happen.¡±

    ¡°Well, lots of things happened.¡±

    By lots I mean lots.

    ¡°Anyhow, I¡¯m here now. I think you are worried about Deborah as well. She have to go somewhere for the time being, but don¡¯t worry, she¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    ¡­I think. I just hope she won¡¯t find any trouble in the continent of Suntos. Though what am I thinking? I bet one hundred percent she is bound to get into at least one trouble ahead of her.

    ¡°Yo Koros. You feeling lonely?¡±

    Ignoring me and Iola, Caelan detaches from us and approaches the silent Orc. He simply replies Caelan¡¯s question by shaking his head before giving him his answer.

    ¡°You could have come sooner. I¡¯m afraid my presence here made your friend uncomfortable.¡±

    He seems to have more awareness that I thought¡­

    ¡°Nah, she¡¯s always like that! Don¡¯t mind her.¡±

    ¡­something Caelan should learn from him.

    ¡°Anyway, this is my pal, Akuma. Akuma, this is my other pal, Koros Hafner. He was my sparring partner before this whole war thingy start.¡±

    Now that Caelan mentions it, I recall he was the guy who sparred with Caelan during my brief visit to the War Arts classroom. Back when Bjarni was still alive¡­

    ¡°You are Akuma? I have heard about you from the teachers, about your involvement with our former instructor.¡±

    So, I guess that means he knows some of the truth. What is he going to do, lash out at me? Or maybe punch me for his teacher¡¯s death?

    ¡°Some might think otherwise, but you being alive was the proof of our teacher¡¯s greatness. Live well knowing you knew Bjarni Lodbrok in your life. That¡¯s all I want to say.¡±

    ¡°Just¡­that?¡±

    I reply in surprise.

    ¡°I¡¯m not one good with words.¡±

    True to his words, the Orc named Koros says no more.

    I turn to Iola and Caelan, maybe they have their own opinions of me being saved by Bjarni Lodbrok, assuming they know. But I guess they just don¡¯t want to say it out loud, not in this place, not at this time.

    ¡°The current matter is where is our instructor?¡±

    Says Koros. The three of us turn to look at each other before each of us take a look at a different directions of the forest in search of our mysterious instructor. Five minutes pass, and still no signs of anyone approaching. Caelan just stands there and munches on his bananas, while Iola looks tired from all the standing. Only Koros remains vigilant. Even I start to get bored. If this is some sort of prank, I hope the perpetrator is prepared for the wrath of a warrior, a mage, an orc and an alchemist.

    Then suddenly, something moves among the trees. And from there, a shadow emerges and jumps into our center. The shadow takes us by surprise. From a quick glance of mine, that shadow is a person clads in iron light armor from the head to the feet, with a helmet resembling the peak of a bird, although there is a crack on the right eye part of the armor, but I can¡¯t see anything through that crack, there¡¯s something like a cloth inside that blocks away what¡¯s hidden behind. From the back of the helmet is some space to let hair out, and that person has long hair like a woman, braided into one big braid. Her hair is white in color, white as silver.

    That¡¯s only what I can see, before that person starts attacking us. She begins with pushing Caelan¡¯s half-eaten banana down his throat, choking him to point of unconsciousness. Koros is the fastest one among us to react, he throws a punch at the assailant, but she swiftly dodges it without breaking a sweat, and moreover, she gets into a stance resembling a judo move and uses the Orc¡¯s strength against him, pulling his arm to throw him down to the ground, making him spit some blood from the impact.

    The attack gives me a brief moment to make some distance, but Iola remains there and attempts to cast some spell. However, she is too close to the assailant, and it doesn¡¯t take her any effort to close their gap and perform a palm strike right in Iola¡¯s stomach, knocking the poor girl down.

    That leaves me as the only one remaining. The assailant turns her head to my direction. Even with a helmet blocking the way, I think our gazes met. Without saying anything, the assailant rushes at my position, attempting to do what she did with the others. Our gap gets closer, and closer.

    And by the time she is within my reach, I take out the knife I have hidden inside my cloak from before I got here. I knew something was fishy with an order like ¡°not taking any weapons¡±, and thus, I took along a knife just in case, though at this point I wish I took a gun instead.

    With my knife in hand, I throw a slash toward the approaching assailant, attempting to use the surprise element against her.

    ¡­but it seems like I was right, close combat isn¡¯t my forte after all, and the assailant effortlessly catches me by my wrist, preventing me from making a hole on her armor. Her grip is insane, her strength is inhuman, she can break the bones in my arm if she puts more efforts. The pain makes me drop down on my knee and releases the knife away from my hand, while the assailant silently watches¡­

    ¡­until she opens her mouth for the first time.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you? No weapons!¡±

    As she releases her grip from my hand, the woman kicks me by the stomach. The kick almost makes me throw out everything I ate for lunch, though that wouldn¡¯t be so bad if I¡¯m not so mad at the lady in armor right now. Thankfully, the ordeals I went through during the siege of Melas aren¡¯t for nothing. I am in pain, but the kick fails to knock me out. And it seems like even my companions aren¡¯t that weak either. Koros is the first to stand up as he wipes the blood out of his mouth. Iola gets up later while she caresses the pain on her stomach. Caelan is the last as he spits out the remains of the banana in his throat, only to lament for the crushed bananas on the ground from the aftermath of the fight.

    About the assailant herself, seems like she is no longer interested in attacking us, despite all four want to have some paypack on her.

    ¡°Caelan Eberstark. You didn¡¯t take this seriously by bringing food to the training ground. Even the mighty Eberstarks have fallen this low, I see. Fail.¡±

    The lady in armor turns her gaze at the Orc and continues.

    ¡°Koros Hafner. You reacted fast, but not well enough. A simple punch can be easily countered by a soldier worth his steel. Your attacks need to be more decisive . Fail.¡±

    This time, she turns her judgment at Iola.

    ¡°Iola Moreau. Before you cast a spell, you may want to keep your calm and make some distance first. If you are going to cast a spell at close range, cast something that doesn¡¯t require chanting, else even a peasant with a pitchfork can kill you without breaking a sweat. Fail.¡±

    And of course, the final one is reserved for me.

    ¡°Akuma. If you are going to pull a weapon, make it damn sure you can do some damage with it. You could bring along a sword and it wouldn¡¯t even make any difference. You fail.¡±

    By the time her lecture is over, all four of us are standing in front of her, still puzzled on what to say and react. I, in my opinion, is pissed, both because she is violent, and because she is right.

    ¡°I expected more from the students who arrived at Melas as fast as they could in servitude of the Demon Realm, but it seems like I will have to drill all of you maggots from the basic again. The Realm has no need of children who don¡¯t even know how to throw their lives away the right way.¡±

    ¡°And who are you to judge us?¡±

    I yell. The woman falls silent. Suddenly, she puts her hands on her bird¡¯s peak helmet and takes it off, revealing a gorgeous woman with a red as blood eye. Yes, she only has one left eye remains, her right eye has been covered under a layer of white bandages. With limited vision like that inside a helmet, and she can still wipe the floor with us? Just how¡­

    ¡°My name is Brenna Lodbrok. From this day onward, I am your instructor. So you better put some respect in your words, maggot!¡±

    Brenna Lodbrok¡­that last name. Does that mean¡­she is Bjarni¡¯s daughter?

 Chapter 65: The New Instructor

    The new training regimen starts with five running laps around the Darkwood forest. It¡¯s normal if it¡¯s only in the castle¡¯s courtyard, because while that place is large, it is still no forest on its own. I used to train my stamina around here back before the whole war came crashing, but even I can barely endure two rounds of repetitive running around a forest as large as this.

    After the whole ass whooping session with our instructor Brenna Lodbrok earlier, we are ordered to begin training immediately without any rest. For warming up, five laps around the forest for me and Iola, while the warriors, Caelan and Koros, get ten laps, with several iron chains on their body to weight them down. Koros and Caelan are running ahead of us, but close enough not to escape out of our sight. They probably can run faster than this, rather than waiting for me and Iola to catch up with them, but my guess is they are keeping a slower pace to conserve their stamina, after all, their task is twice ours.

    I think I¡¯m fine for the time being. Running in a familiar place certainly helps. Iola? Not so much. She has trouble running in a dress for obvious reasons, neither do her boots do a good thing in helping her run. She did a good job running halfway through the forest, but fatigue is showing through the sweats on her face.

    It wouldn¡¯t be so bad for Iola if the instructor herself isn¡¯t tailing us behind, keeping vigilant watch of her students. Her presence unintentionally creates a mental weight to slow us down from performing our best. Understandably, considering what she did to us prior to our ¡°training¡±. Even that motormouth Caelan keeps his mouth shut and runs without saying anything. The atmosphere around us is too heavy, this only means trouble is bound to happen sooner and later.

    And it does, starting with Iola¡¯s fall from exhaustion. She trips on her dress and finds her face meeting up with the ground.

    ¡°Iola!¡±

    I yell. Koros and Caelan also stop their track when they hear about the commotion behind them, but since I am closest to her, I am the first to approach Iola, intending to help her.

    ¡°Stop right there! Continue with your training. Let her stand up by herself.¡±

    Brenna¡¯s words manage to stop Caelan and Koros from approaching, but it¡¯s already too late for me, I extend my hand to help Iola, but she is still too exhausted to get herself up. The trip tears a small part of her dress, nothing too serious, but I still don¡¯t understand why our instructor forces Iola to run in such an unfitting attire.

    ¡°Cadet Akuma. Get up, and continue your training.¡±

    ¡°Give her a moment, will you!? Are you expecting her to run like a horse in this kind of dress!?¡±

    I raise my voice, almost to sound like I¡¯m yelling. Truth is I feel like yelling, I have a good reason to yell, but not now, not this moment. I know better than acting headfirst without thinking like the person I used to be before this whole war began.

    ¡°That fault was on her part, wearing fancy dresses to do combat training.¡±

    Brenna coldly replies.

    ¡°She didn¡¯t know! She was unprepared!¡±

    ¡°So did the Demon Realm, and we all know how that ended, don¡¯t we?¡±

    I feel like my tongue is stuck by something, preventing me from making any rebuttal. Without looking at us, Brenna Lodbrok leers at the forest of Darkwood, at the places that were burnt from an unknown fire, made during the fighting that happened in the siege of Melas. The corpses might be gone, but in some places there¡¯re still several pools of dried blood around. Hidden from sight are also the body parts of those who fell here, which the soldiers didn¡¯t bother to pick up, leaving them behind for whatever beasts living in the forest to consume, assuming the beasts themselves were not among the casualties. This is the first time I arrive in the Darkwood forest after the war, and the fatigue and hatred of my new instructor have blinded me somewhat from this obvious truth.

    ¡°Make all the excuses you want, but you can¡¯t change the obvious truth: the Realm failed to defend itself, and many lives¡­good lives, were paid to undone that mistake.¡±

    Brenna turns her gaze back to us and continues her monologue.

    ¡°We are already at war. If you are not mentally prepared for war, then pack up and go home.¡±

    I grind my teeth. In my view, even if she¡¯s right, that is not an excuse for her to torment her students like this. But before I have a chance to retort, the exhausted Iola grabs me by my shirt and gives me a silent headshake. Through a brief glance of her grey eyes, I understand what she¡¯s trying to do: to stop me from needlessly doing something foolish for her sake.

    With my helping hands, the young witch stands up and regain her balance. Our brief banter gives her enough time to recover her stamina, though only Iola knows how long that will last.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Instructor. It was my fault. I will take any punishment you deem fit.¡±

    Brenna pauses for a moment before she delivers her verdict.

    ¡°Just continue with your training. You¡¯re slowing everyone down. And you two maggots, keep running!¡±

    With the input of Brenna, Caelan and Koros resume their run, soon they are followed by me and Iola, both trying to keep up our pace lest our bodies fail us and we have to face Brenna¡¯s wrath again. Iola bids me a silent thank you as we run, but I know this won¡¯t be the end of the trouble with out new instructor.

    ¡­

    We finish our run and return to the forest¡¯s entrance. I have trouble catching my breath, while Iola is having trouble even with breathing. Caelan and Koros have yet to join us considering their workload, but it doesn¡¯t take too long for them to arrive as well after finishing the ten laps of running. They don¡¯t even have the luxury to take it slow, considering the instructor herself is supervising the two after I and Iola finished our run. The two warriors fall to the ground exhausted, as if they were chased by a terrifying ghost, which isn¡¯t too far away from the truth, metaphorically speaking. And it seems like theirs, and ours, torture has yet to end.

    ¡°Get up, that¡¯s only the warm up.¡±

    Says Brenna as she lightly kicks Caelan in the butt. Yet the jolly guy does not have the strength left to comically react to the instructor¡¯s action. He just stands up by instinct without saying anything. The same applies to the Orc Koros. They look more like animated corpses than proud cadets of Melas.

    ¡°Since this is only the first day, I¡¯ll make the course easy. Start with two hundred push up, both of you.¡±

    After bestowing a new task to the warriors, the silver-haired instructor turns to me and Iola. Whatever she has to say, it won¡¯t be pleasant for the two of us.

    ¡°And you two, a hundred.¡±

    Like good students, Caelan and Koros obey the instructor¡¯s words to the tee without complaining. They instantly start doing push up, despite still having all of the weights forced upon them from their run earlier. They are doing rather well, their pace is fast, but the amount of sweat coming from their bodies is enough to make a small pond. I wonder why they don¡¯t object to this blatant abuse in the name of education. Is it because of their calling as soldiers, as warriors? Or simply blind obedience born from fear?

    Nevertheless, I and Iola find ourselves obeying her very words. Even though the fatigue and exhaustion have yet to left us, we start doing push up on the ground. A hundred push up, doesn¡¯t sound like something too out of hand, it¡¯s normal for people working out back in my world, but they don¡¯t start their beginner work out routine with a hundred push up right off the bat. If I¡¯m still have my strength, maybe I can barely push it to eighty, but after such an intense running, even with the little rest, I doubt I can push through fifty with my current strength. But it isn¡¯t myself that I fear for, I fear Iola may not make it, and who knows what sort cruel punishment Brenna has in hand if she does fail herself.

    ¡°Push more strength to your hands!¡±

    Brenna yells at Caelan as she puts her right leg onto his back. The combined weight prevents the young man to continue his push up, but he¡¯s certainly trying to avert that. The more Brenna forces her weight onto him, the stronger Caelan tries to maintain his pace, but even he has limits. Thankfully, before Caelan reaches his breaking point, Brenna spares him and pushes her leg away from him only to repeat the same process with Koros.

    To think our instructor would be a hellish person like this. At first, I was thinking ¡°Is she really Bjarni¡¯s daughter?¡±, soon that thought quickly changes to ¡°Is she really Bjarni¡¯s daughter?¡±. Brenna puts her father - Bjarni ¡°Hit your students¡¯ heads with bricks¡± Lodbrok - to shame. From what I could tell in our brief encounter in their training, I could see his students enjoyed the physical abuse Bjarni. Of course, a few running laps around the forest pales in comparison with running half naked under the cold weather, but I felt a presence of love, enough to make those students ignore the odds and continued their training. I can¡¯t sense such a feeling under Brenna¡¯s guidance. Everything she did look like physical abuse to me.

    And what I fear soon becomes reality as Brenna starts approaching Iola, who¡¯s barely manage to do several push up on her own, but the moment Brenna shows up, Iola¡¯s body freezes and stops her training.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Cadet Moreau?¡±

    Says Brenna, completely oblivious of Iola¡¯s fear of her. Iola tries to continue her training, but exhaustion combined with fear prevent her from using her girly strength. At that moment, Brenna puts her iron boot onto her back, making some weight just like what she did earlier to the warriors.

    ¡°Seems like a cup of tea may motivate you to do better, shall I also bake some cookies to boot?¡±

    Iola tries pushing herself up, but Brenna¡¯s weight through her boot always keep her down.

    ¡°Come on! A lady of the Demon Realm is stronger than this. What were you doing all those time in Melas if you can¡¯t do a hundred push up in a breeze?¡±

    At that point, I break.

    ¡°Enough is enough!¡±

    I yell in anger as I stand up from the ground and approach her. Instructor or not, Bjarni¡¯s daughter or not, I won¡¯t let her do as she pleases to us even if she has the right to.

    ¡°She¡¯s a witch, not a warrior! She casts spells, not stab people with pointy weapons! Stop making standards on areas she¡¯s not strong at!¡±

    Thanks to my input, Brenna spares her torment off Iola, but her attention starts to divert to me instead. Our gazes meet as she stands in front of me, preparing her rebuttal.

    ¡°And will you make that excuse on the battlefield, when she is approached by enemies faster than she can cast spells?¡±

    ¡°No! Because that¡¯s why we are here, to train together, to fight together as a squad, who will have each other¡¯s back protected by squadmates we can trust!¡±

    I yell loud enough to make Koros and Caelan stop their mindless push up and gaze at our conversation. They may be reserved because of obedience born from their prior trainings, but I wasn¡¯t trained as a warrior, hell, I can say I wasn¡¯t properly trained enough to be anything, but I guess thanks to that, I can have the strength to tell something obvious people ignore through sheer ignorance. They may be able to endure her abuse, but I won¡¯t let her do what she pleases on my friend Iola without a fight.

    And a fight is what I get, as Brenna suddenly punches me by the face, sending me flying for a meter away from her.

    ¡°You na?ve idiot!¡±

    I fall to the ground with a bloodied mouth. I think I lost a teeth or two, but the pain from being punched by someone wearing an iron gauntlet is too much for me to care enough about losing teeth. Despite the pain, I find myself able to quickly stand up thanks to sheer anger.

    ¡°Do you expect there are people who will always protect you on the chaotic battlefield!? How entitled you must be if you take being saved by others in dire needs for granted!?¡±

    Propelled by rage, I rush at the instructor as she approaches closer to me. Pain and hatred replace my reason as I find myself throwing a punch toward her face, but what is a rage-filled punch to a seasoned soldier? The one-eyed woman swiftly dodges sideway, but not without mixing in a counter move by kicking my feet to throw me off balance. As I once again fall down to the earthly ground, Brenna adds in another move by the form of an elbow strike right in my back. Thanks to the lack of protection of my common black cloak, since Kardia¡¯s cloak was torn apart in the war, I can feel the pain inflicted on me to the bone.

    ¡°Arghh!¡±

    I groan. I think I have a broken bone in my back, thankfully it¡¯s not my spine, but that will take a long time to heal if I can manage to survive through today. I can see Caelan, Koros and Iola rushing to my aid, but a loud yelling from Brenna stops them from moving further.

    ¡°STAND BACK! ALL OF YOU!¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Brenna then puts her feet on my back, preventing me from getting up, if I still have the strength to do so.

    ¡°Tell me: Have you ever been in a bind, facing enemies you cannot hope to defeat, with no allies by your side who either fled or lay dead on the ground, with no chance to come out alive unless a miracle happens? When I did, it cost me an eye and a hole in my stomach. But why¡­when you did it, the only thing you sacrificed is my father!?¡±

    Brenna pulls her feet away and kicks me in the stomach afterward. I groan from the pain, but soon I don¡¯t even have that chance anymore since she repeatedly kicks me nonstop.

    ¡°Out of all the people he could save, why did he pick an insolence maggot like you! Why did you come out unscathed when others couldn¡¯t!? Why did the person who had to die to save you must be my father!? For all your talk about working as a squad, you can¡¯t even save yourself without relying on the strength of others! You¡¯re a creep, a parasite who can only survive by leeching on people¡¯s good will! If only you died¡­and stayed dead, then maybe¡­my father will¡­¡±

    My body is in pain, but her words hurt me even more than every kicks she made. I find myself stop groaning despite the pain. I lose the interest to even defend myself, and just let Brenna do what she want. My body is tattered, but I would like to think for every piece of broken bone inside my body is a coin used to repay the debt I own the deceased Bjarni. If beating me to a pulp may satisfy the daughter he left behind, then so be it.

    ¡°That¡­still doesn¡¯t give you¡­a reason¡­to abuse my friends!¡±

    With what¡¯s left of my strength, I hold Brenna¡¯s leg with my arms, preventing her from further making a mess out of my body. A frown appears on the one-eyed demon¡¯s face. She is certainly displeased. My pitiful strength can only hold her leg for a second before she slips away and kicks me in the face.

    At this point, even the obedient little soldiers can¡¯t stand and continue watching.

    ¡°You¡¯re going overboard, Instructor! Stop this, please!¡±

    Koros rushes at Brenna and locks her right arm, but Brenna pays no heed to his words and throws him away with a martial technique. When Caelan tries to do the same, she quickly knocks him out by a quick punch at his stomach. But for all of their futile attempt, they buy enough time for Iola to act¡­by using herself as a shield to block the path between Brenna and my tattered self.

    ¡°Move, cadet Moreau.¡±

    ¡°No! I won¡¯t let you harm him anymore!¡±

    Brenna stands there looking stunned. I don¡¯t know what is going in her head, but Iola¡¯s fragile body and words alone don¡¯t have the power to stop her, something else did. Is it because of the combined efforts from two people who haven¡¯t fought side by side together once like Koros and Caelan? Is it because someone who is too weak to do anything is throwing their everything to protect another? Or is it because they are proving the value of my words, where squadmates have each other¡¯s back? Nevertheless, all of those are not enough, as Brenna approaches Iola anyway with her arm raised, preparing to punch Iola away with no mercy.

    At only during that moment does a miracle decide to show itself.

    ¡°Stop.¡±

    Out of nowhere, a soldier with a skull-shaped helmet appears, with his bandaged right arm he puts a hold to Brenna¡¯s arm before she can strike the witch girl. Brenna looks genuinely surprised, her sole remain eye opens wide from the sudden appearance of the last person I expect to show up.

    ¡°Lapidoth¡­Don¡¯t stop me, I¡¯m educating him.¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s truly for educational purpose, then I say you haven¡¯t hit him hard enough. But it¡¯s not as simple as that, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    Brenna¡¯s body shakes as she bits her lip in a sudden burst of silent anger.

    ¡°What do you know about it¡­!?¡±

    Suddenly, the bandages covering Brenna¡¯s right eye redden as blood flows out of them, wetting the white cloth covering where her right eye should be. Brenna drops on her knees afterward, almost falling to the ground if not for Lapidoth keeping a firm hold of her arm. There¡¯s also blood flowing out beneath her iron armor, wetting her stomach in red. Brenna doesn¡¯t say anything, but it is obvious the opened wounds are hindering her attempt to make communication, maybe.

    ¡°Class dismissed for today. You three go treat his wound, I¡¯ll take care of your instructor.¡±

    With just that, the eventful day ends as Koros, Iola and Caelan listen to Lapidoth¡¯s words and take me back to the castle to treat my wounds, while the man himself disappears along with our ¡°instructor¡±.

    -----------

    Inside Melas castle lies a keep filled with empty rooms. Normally, this place is used as guest rooms in case there are a large amount of guests coming for visit, but at this time, with a war on their doorstep, the only guests Melas has are soldiers of the Demon Realm, making it an army barrack in all but name. Even then, the soldiers allowed to stay in the keep are the most exceptional ones, who proved their worth before or during the war, those who don¡¯t have those merits have to make camps outside of the keep and combat the cold of winter¡¯s night on their own.

    Lapidoth waltzes in the keep, despite not personally residing in this place. He has a wooden bowl of hot water on his left arm and a basket of medicines, bandages and towels on the other. Lapidoth approaches a room on the third floor and without knocking, the guy opens the door with his leg to walk inside.

    The first thing that hits his eyes is the sight of Brenna punching the stone walls with her right arm to no avail. It¡¯s unclear whether the stone walls of Melas are simply too tough, or Brenna¡¯s iron gaunlets are too well made, but nonetheless, without neither of them breaking, Brenna continues to vent her anger on the gray walls surrounding her room.

    ¡°Stop punching, you¡¯ll hurt the wall¡¯s feeling.¡±

    Says Lapidoth as he closes the wooden door and fully enters the room.

    ¡°Then who cares about my feelings!?¡±

    Brenna yells. Her bandages still remain dirtied with blood, and all the movement and yelling certainly doesn¡¯t help to stop blood from flowing out of her wounds.

    ¡°I could care more if you stop throwing tantrum like a brat.¡±

    Brenna begrudgingly sighs as she gives up harming the walls and sits on her bed while Lapidoth prepares his medical tools.

    ¡°Whose bright idea was it to make me an instructor? Me? Teaching brats how to fight? All I want¡­is just to lead my men to kill the bastards who destroyed my squad¡­and the high command can¡¯t even grant it the right way without screwing me over!¡±

    Brenna yells as she throws her pillow at the wall like an angry schoolgirl, unfitting her appearance as a veteran soldier.

    ¡°Those were Solis¡¯s ¡¸Yellow Knights¡¹ we¡¯re talking about. It was a miracle you made it back alive when they found you lost on the way back to Melas. Losing your eye or not, half of your squad wouldn¡¯t be alive if you didn¡¯t stay to hold the enemy back.¡±

    Yellow Knights, the most elite knight order of the Kingdom of Solis. Famed for their unmatched strength, unrivaled chivalry and undisputed discipline. A group of five hundred is comparable to a standard human army. They are feared and respected as an enemy of the Demon Realm, with most encounters ended in the total destruction of the demon soldiers in question. Fleeing a fight from them alive can be called an achievement on its own.

    ¡°Those were still my men! If I don¡¯t do something about those bastards, they would die unavenged! There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll allow them to roam through our lands unchecked! Not after what they did to us!¡±

    Brenna yells out loud in a fit of anger. On the contrary, Lapidoth remains calm and replies Brenna without raising his voice.

    ¡°So the first thing you did after having your wounds patched up was to lead your remaining men on a suicidal charge to find an enemy whose whereabouts you yourself don¡¯t know about? Your destructive tendency will kill those you saved for the sake of your selfish vengeance. It¡¯s a miracle they made you an instructor instead of kicking you straight out of the army.¡±

    After saying his words, Lapidoth takes the wooden bowl of hot water to Brenna¡¯s side, along with a clean towel on his shoulder.

    ¡°¡­You were right¡­You always were¡­¡±

    Brenna calms down and silently awaits Lapidoth¡¯s treatment on her bed. The soldier puts the hot water bowl to the stone ground and dip the clean tower inside before twisting the water out.

    ¡°You lost half your squad to the Yellow Knights, the other half to the chain of commanding. Your father died along with his killer. Those kids are the only things you have left now. Don¡¯t try to drive them off just because you hate being an instructor.¡±

    Brenna takes off the bandages covering her right eye, revealing an empty eye socket filled with fresh blood. The wounds had already been taken care off, but the intense physical and emotional trauma made her blood flows out once again. Brenna just sits there, waiting patiently for her former senior comrade¡¯s medical care until she herself asks him a question.

    ¡°Why did you come? For him?¡±

    Lapidoth remains silent as he wipes the blood off the area around Brenna¡¯s eye socket. He tries his best to be careful, but even without his iron gauntlets, Lapidoth¡¯s hands still touch a bit of the flesh by her eye socket, which causes some pain to the young woman. Nevertheless, Lapidoth not even once asks about her welfare, for it is better the faster he wipes off the blood without interruption.

    ¡°Do you blame him? Or do you blame yourself?¡±

    Asks Lapidoth as he applies the disinfectant over Brenna¡¯s eye socket. Brenna fails to make any answer to Lapidoth¡¯s question. The girl keeps her silence as Lapidoth wraps her right eye with a fresh and clean batch of bandages.

    ¡°If you were here the day Origen¡¯s forces attacked, maybe you could have save him, he would be alive after the siege is over. But then, who would lead your squad to live through the assault of the Yellow Knights? Without your presence, all of them would be eliminated. If given a choice, who would you choose?¡±

    Brenna bites her lips, unable to make a proper answer with conflicting herself.

    ¡°You¡¯re cruel¡­You know I can¡¯t choose.¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯m glad you didn¡¯t have to. Whoever you picked, you¡¯ll feel the same regret regardless. You may keep convince yourself there¡¯s a way for everybody to live¡­but nobody can change the past. You can only live with the consequences, along with its pain and sorrow.¡±

    Says Lapidoth as he washes the bloodied towel in hot water after finishing wrapping the bandages.

    ¡°¡­Why did you have to go and die?¡­Stupid father¡­¡±

    Brenna silently mutters, but that doesn¡¯t escape the ears behind Lapidoth¡¯s helmet.

    ¡°I was also saved by him back during the siege. I own him my life. Without Bjarni holding back Origen, I would have died along with that brat. If you want someone to blame, then blame me as well. But although you have every right to blame, I don¡¯t think your father would want you to dwell so much over the dead.¡±

    After finishing the preparation of the towel, Lapidoth kneels in front of Brenna, waiting for her to say something.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°It means our job is not over. The war has yet to over. Letting hatred and sorrow drown you will do no good. You are an instructor now, just like your father before you. His students are now in your care, they are his living legacy, it¡¯s up to you now to do what you want with it.¡±

    Suddenly, a faint smile appears on Brenna¡¯s lips.

    ¡°You haven¡¯t change a bit. Always speak to people the things they want to hear in the way they hate the most. Though I never hate that part of you.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡±

    Lapidoth replies. Brenna notices his gaze at her torso, still fully in armor despite the blood dripping through the wound in her stomach. Only at this point does she understand why he wants to treat her wounds in her own room, since there won¡¯t be any place private enough in the makeshift hospital located at the castle storage.

    ¡°I guess¡­it can¡¯t be helped.¡±

    Brenna reluctantly takes off her armor in silent. Her armor is conveniently designed so that she could take it off by her own, as well as easier to maintain on long days away from the base. When she is down to her inner clothing, Brenna still takes her brown shirt off her upper half just so Lapidoth can have an easier time treating her wound, and feasting his eyes on a woman¡¯s naked upper half body as a bonus.

    But Brenna knows there¡¯s no chance he would find her body attractive. Aside from her bosom covered by a cloth, not for medical purpose, but rather to make it easier for her to move in armor, the rest of her well-toned muscular torso is covered with battle scars, both old and new. Brenna¡¯s face reddens, not because there¡¯s a man staring at her naked upper half, but because there isn¡¯t anything even noteworthy to show him.

    ¡°There seem to be more than the last time I saw them. Badges of pride, as you once called.¡±

    ¡°They don¡¯t help much in attracting the attention of men though, and losing an eye certainly ended any hope of marriage to me.¡±

    Jokingly says Brenna as the man in armor takes off the bandages covering the wound on her stomach. The size suggests she was pierced by a spear, deep enough to cause some serious damage, but thankfully shallow enough to let her keep her life afterward. The hole in her armor has been fixed by the castle blacksmiths, but the wound is still there and has yet to heal.

    ¡°Any man who doesn¡¯t want you is an idiot.¡±

    Lapidoth replies. Using the towel, he cleans the blood off the wound on Brenna¡¯s stomach, all while the girl in question keeps watching him treating her like a spoiled princess.

    ¡°My mom once said All men are idiots. I used to think she only meant my father, but¡­¡±

    ¡°She wasn¡¯t wrong.¡±

    Lapidoth bluntly replies, although Brenna can hear a silent chuckle. After rinsing around the wound, the man in armor starts applying disinfectant on it before warping it with bandages. When there¡¯s nothing left to be done, Brenna wears back her shirt, but since Lapidoth tells her to rest lest her wounds open again, the girl forgoes her armor and just let it sit by her bed. Before Lapidoth has a chance to stand up, Brenna suddenly leans forward and holds his shoulder with her hand.

    ¡°Is there really¡­no chance¡­between the two of us?¡±

    Lapidoth pauses a moment before calmly takes Brenna¡¯s hand off his shoulder, but without letting it go. Their hands touch, but his grip doesn¡¯t have the strength of a man who doesn¡¯t want to part with the love of his life. That is enough for Brenna to know his answer.

    ¡°I have known you for three years, Brenna. I want you to be happy, but I¡¯m afraid¡­I¡¯m not the one who could bring it to you. The only things that await me on my path¡­are pain and sorrow.¡±

    Despite having her hand held, Brenna is the first one to part her hand away from Lapidoth¡¯s. The young woman remains silent. She wants to say something, she wants to say her life has been filled with pain and sorrow as well, she wants to say such a future doesn¡¯t scare her. But Brenna understand that¡¯s precisely the reason Lapidoth doesn¡¯t want her to walk together with him on his road. He wants her to be happy because of her own pain and sorrow, not to share a miserable future together with him. She already understood since the first rejection, the second attempt was made only because of a blind and faint hope.

    ¡°Somehow it hurts less in the second time.¡±

    Brenna smiles, trying not to shed a tear. It is unknown whether he¡¯s trying to console her or to make the mood less awkward, but Lapidoth still takes out a letter he hid inside his armor and puts it into Brenna¡¯s hand. Certainly not a love letter, not after that second rejection.

    ¡°What is¡­this letter?¡±

    ¡°A letter for you, from Bjarni.¡±

    Brenna doesn¡¯t even bother to hide the surprise on her face as she has what could be counted as a memento from her deceased father on her hand.

    ¡°He actually wrote a letter? He never once wrote a letter before, not even during the campaigns on the humans¡¯ lands. I once doubted he even knew what letters are, let alone write one.¡±

    ¡°An input from a stupid student of his, he said. Which one, well¡­who knows? Anyway, It¡¯s time for me to leave. That letter is for you and you only, no need for me to hear what he got to say. Either way, remember to rest up and don¡¯t try to make any heavy move.¡±

    Without any further saying, Lapidoth packs up and leave the room as Brenna stays behind with Bjarni¡¯s letter in her hand. Lapidoth gets out with his stuff and closes the door, but he has yet to leave. He is waiting for something as he silently stands in front of Brenna¡¯s room.

    Eventually, a sound comes from inside of the room. A sobbing of a crying girl. A lament of a fatherless daughter.

    Only then does Lapidoth deem his presence unnecessary and quietly walks away.

 Chapter 66: The reconciliation

    I wake up from my sleep. My body is a bit sore, but ultimately nothing is wrong with it. And then, when I open my eyes, greeting me isn¡¯t the ceiling of Deborah¡¯s room, but the vast space of the castle¡¯s storage. I find myself once again playing the role of a patient on a makeshift bed in this cramped box they called a hospital. My wounds are not as serious like the one I had before, just a few beating by the head and maybe a broken bone, and probably a few missing teeth. Seems like they patched up my head with bandages, while my torso remains the same.

    I get up, trying to assert the time of my awakening, but it seems like I am not alone. Sitting by my sheet is Iola, who¡¯s dozing off with a book on her laps. She looks fine without any injuries, thankfully that hellish instructor stopped at only beating me to a mess. Iola¡¯s sleepy face is kind of funny though, but I should be thankful of her, for staying by my side. I am alone now, Deborah is far away, the only people who care about me somewhat are either dead or scarce enough to be nonexistent. While I am her friend, we are not that close, maybe acquaintances at best. But times like these don¡¯t provide me an excuse to stay aloof away from contact with others, we will soon be comrades in arms, nothing else will matter.

    In short, I¡¯m glad she¡¯s here. While I prefer the solitary after sleep, having someone by your side also isn¡¯t that bad of a feeling, and it¡¯s something I need in this kind of time.

    I quietly take off the bandages on my head. It¡¯s rather tight and uncomfortable, and since the pain has gone away, I no longer feel a need to keep the mess I called hair wrapped by bandages. But right at that moment, something tips Iola off, and she suddenly wakes up, still half asleep, but awake nonetheless.

    ¡°Akuma¡­? You¡¯re¡­awake? Wait, don¡¯t take those off! Your head is still¡­hurt¡­¡±

    But it¡¯s already too late, the final strap of bandages comes off my head and lies on my hand. The bandages have stains of dry blood on them, but my head is clean without any wounds or scars. As if the bandages were put on just for show, and I was never hurt to begin with. I touch my own head to confirm it with my own hand, and my wounds have indeed vanished, or healed overnight.

    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t get it either.¡±

    I reply the baffled Iola. Somehow I¡¯m starting to take this as something completely normal, despite how abnormal it is. Though I guess making a scene won¡¯t be any help, better to accept it and move on. Not like having a fast healing rate would hurt.

    ¡°How long have I been out, Iola?¡±

    I ask the gray-haired girl.

    ¡°A-About a day¡­The wounds in your head knocked you unconscious after the instructor was gone, so we took you here for treatment. The doctors said you would be out for at least two days, but¡­well, I guess you could fill in the rest.¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    I bluntly reply. My head is filled with thoughts, but ultimately they don¡¯t matter. The end result is I hate my instructor¡¯s guts. What if I can¡¯t heal faster than normal? What if her beating turned me vegetable? Beating me is one thing, beating my friends is another. I can¡¯t accept an instructor like that. The thing is: What can I do to change the status quo? File a complaining letter? Sue her? Well, maybe it could work back in my world¡­but this isn¡¯t my world, it¡¯s hers, and that hellish instructor has the final say here.

    Well, maybe I¡¯ll leave that for later.

    ¡°Either way, thank you, Iola.¡±

    I give Iola my gratitude.

    ¡°¡­for what?¡±

    She replies as our gazes meet.

    ¡°For staying with me until now.¡±

    The gray-haired girl with twin braids suddenly blushes and shies away from my gaze as she covers her mouth with the book on her lap.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­the one who own you that thank. Thank you¡­for standing up for me¡­when I couldn¡¯t.¡±

    The way she say makes it rather awkward for me to make a follow up. We both fall silent, unable to find a proper words to speak up, until Iola herself continues the conversation.

    ¡°Do you know why¡­witches and warlocks wear those ridiculous hats all the time?¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    I reply with the most obvious answer.

    ¡°To distance themselves from the creatures we call human.¡±

    I get that witches and wizards are basically humans with more magic powers than usual, but why the need to differentiate themselves when they are basically human in shape and spirit?

    ¡°We are born like human, act like human, live like human, and die like human. But our magical potential is the thing that make us different. We consider it a gift, but not many can have that kind of gift, and thus, jealousy was born. In war, we are powerful weapons, but in peace, we are simply objects of discrimination from the common human.¡±

    ¡°So your kind distanced themselves from other humans.¡±

    I reply. The end result is rather easy to guess, if they are not, there would be no point about this talk about witches and warlocks. Iola simply nods in response.

    ¡°We made cultures of our own. We paved new ways of life, pursued new goals and put our own interest above that of humanity. We thought of humans as ignorant fools, so we decided to pursue knowledge as the ultimate end to transcend beyond our human flesh. That was why I am here, because our ancestors came to this land in search of forbidden knowledge.¡±

    Iola falls silent for a moment before continuing.

    ¡°But the blood of man can¡¯t be easily replaced like changing clothes. We were accepted, but treated like second-class citizens, shunned by the demons who took human forms just to survive the light of day. Ironic, isn¡¯t it? But their land, their rule. To survive, we put aside our humanity, and dedicated everything for the search of knowledge, both good and bad. The robe and hat are the physical manifestation of our resolve, and in turn, signifying our role as witches and warlocks.¡±

    ¡°Then where is your hat?¡±

    I ask. For all her talk about dress code and clothing, aside from her common clothes which somehow resembles an apprentice witch, I never once saw her putting any kind of hat over her gray hair. At first, I only think of it as a faction choice, but I never once saw Nilrem parting with her hat, and so do other witches that I know of. They really take their dress code seriously, but then why is someone as serious as Iola doesn¡¯t want to follow it?

    ¡°To put it simply, I¡­don¡¯t think I deserve to be called a witch.¡±

    Well, that explains nothing.

    ¡°Why would you think of yourself like that? You have good grades, you are diligent and soft spoken. You are a witch to me.¡±

    Iola plainly smiles before replying.

    ¡°Witches don¡¯t actively partake in bloodshed on the frontlines of a war. They prefer to stay behind closed doors, drowning themselves in books and research. Yet, I am still here¡­I am not the kind of person you expect me to be.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s still Nilrem.¡±

    The Headmaster certainly looks like a Witch to me, though not the scholar type like what Iola described, but rather the old hag type who sacrifices babies to make elixirs of immortality.

    ¡°The Headmaster has attained whatever knowledge she seek. Now, she is simply putting them into practical use.¡±

    Iola replies.

    ¡°Anyway, I personally don¡¯t think clothing could define your whole being, but apparently the Demon Realm itself doesn¡¯t think that way. At the start of my first year, I was bullied. It was only the aside glances and being ignored at first, but eventually, they started calling me names, ¡°human spy¡± was the most common. I was alone, without friend. My chosen way of life isolated me from my brethren, they understandably wanted nothing to do with someone trying to divert away from their tradition. It was only a matter of time until physical abuse started to appear.¡±

    Despite telling me her sad past, a smile suddenly appears on Iola¡¯s lips, like a ray of hope shining upon the empty darkness. And what she says next probably isn¡¯t too far from that metaphor.

    ¡°And then, I met Deborah. A loner like I was, reading alone in the corner of the library. And I befriended that loner. From then, my life took a change, in a better way.¡±

    I find myself smiling as Iola starts talking about Deborah in the most positive way possible. She has been her friend longer than I have. This is also the first time we seriously speaking with each other without anything holding us back, no war, no talk about vacations or execution, just plainly a talk between friends about other friends.

    ¡°The bullying stopped. I was protected by Deborah¡¯s reputation. At first, I didn¡¯t know the girl I befriended was someone who burnt down the main hall with a single thought like the rumors said. They said of Deborah like she was a creature beyond the limitation of creation, but when I knew more about her, she was just someone who¡¯s afraid of others and her own self. She¡¯s polite if you are polite to her, she is wrathful if you treat her bad, she laughs when someone tell a joke, she cries if something sad happens. She¡¯s knowledgeable, yet also na?ve. That was the Deborah I know, and befriended.¡±

    ¡°And then, you came.¡±

    Iola gives a pause in her story as she throws a gaze at me. Our eyes meet, and then, I see Iola¡¯s smiles briefly disappears.

    ¡°Deborah started acting strange, and more so when you came to our class as a new student. When she introduced you to us, at first, I was afraid of you, of the changes you made on Deborah, making her someone I¡¯m not familiar with. Your following actions certainly didn¡¯t help, what with causing a ruckus, blindly declaring fight with Amadia, jumping head-first into a familiar competition without a care.¡±

    ¡°Well, I was an idiot back then.¡±

    I reply. The things happening to me afterward certainly made me realize how stupid I was.

    ¡°You certainly was. But your stupid actions changed Deborah.¡±

    ¡°Really? I didn¡¯t notice. I did not personally know the Deborah before I was summoned here by her, you did. Her first impression to me has always been someone crude with a sharp tongue to match. There wasn¡¯t a single thing I did that didn¡¯t have her complaining in one way or another.¡±

    Iola puts on a saddened face.

    ¡°And yet, those feelings of hers were more honest than anything I know about Deborah.¡±

    Iola pauses before continuing saying what she has in mind.

    ¡°No matter how nice she was, there was still a wall of ice surrounding her heart, preventing her from being true to herself, and express it to others. It made her keep secrets, made her hide her feelings, only expressing smiles when she needed to smile, tears when she needed to cry. But then, you came. Your actions were stupid, but those helped melt down that wall, they made her more honest, and changed her. Her rage were genuine, it made her act rash like the time she tried to make you disqualified for the familiar competition, but those were her real feelings, acting out for your sake from the bottom of her heart.¡±

    Does that also mean¡­the time where she confessed her feelings as someone who hated being ¡°Deborah Draconis¡± was also her honest feelings? Of course, not entirely honest, but I don¡¯t think she would have that kind of courage to make that talk to just anyone¡­

    ¡­aside from me, her familiar. The one who changed her, for the better or worse.

    ¡°That was when I knew you were here for a reason, Akuma, and that¡¯s why I trust you as a friend. What happened yesterday only helps cement that trust.¡±

    Iola puts on her most serious face as she announces her true intention.

    ¡°Promise me, Akuma, promise me that you will protect Deborah like how you stood up for me. Protect her from the harm of others, and from her own self. You are the only one I can trust with this.¡±

    At this point, I understand the meaning behind all those talk, and that put a smile on my face, something which baffles Iola.

    ¡°Deborah was right, you sure are long-winded when trying to explain something. You could have told me that from the start, it would save us some time.¡±

    But when the time for joke is over, I regain my serious face, filled with honesty from my intention, without any lies or doubt lingering behind, and thus, I declare to Iola, and to myself.

    ¡°I promise that I will protect Deborah, from others, and from herself. I don¡¯t know if my strength will be sufficient, but I intend to keep the promise I made.¡±

    Our fate are connected now. Just as she tried to protect me, I will also do the same to her. She is in pain and alone, and so am I. This maybe just us trying to lick our wounds, but better together than lonely forever.

    ¡°Thank you, Akuma. I know you can keep this promise.¡±

    Iola smiles. There are some tears trying to escape her eyes, but the girl wipes them away before she starts crying for real.

    ¡°On a second thought, you yourself seem to have changed as well. I don¡¯t think this kind of talk would be possible if it was the Akuma I knew before the war.¡±

    She is right. I was filled with doubt about Deborah, if she tried to make me promise something like that to the me before, I would roll over and laugh until my sides go to the orbit. But bam, the war came, and the rest is history.

    ¡°No matter what people said, or what the instructor said, I don¡¯t think Bjarni trading his life for yours was a mistake.¡±

    I can¡¯t find anything to reply Iola. Now that she mentioned it, there¡¯s the problem with Brenna Lodbrok that I have to solve, and there¡¯s no solution that I can think of inside my head. But I understand she¡¯s trying to make me feel better, and I appreciate that gesture with a faint smile.

    ¡°Still, when you think about it, you and Deborah are very alike¡­you two are really perfect for each other¡­¡±

    My heart skips a beat as Iola starts blushing like a maiden on her wedding day. That certainly came out of nowhere.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°Now now¡­let¡¯s not getting ahead of ourselves, shall we¡­?¡±

    Before things start getting more awkward, a timely intervention arrives by the form of two visitors: My buddy Caelan, and his buddy Koros.

    ¡°Yo, Akuma! You dead yet!?¡±

    Loudly yells Caelan as the guy approaches us together with his friend.

    ¡°Quiet, Caelan. This is still a hospital.¡±

    ¡°Oh right! Sorry!¡±

    Classic Caelan, never change. Now that I know about Iola¡¯s past relation with Deborah, I¡¯m more curious about how did a guy like him actually become a friend of Iola and Deborah.

    ¡°It¡¯ll take more than a beating to make me die for good.¡±

    I reply to the headstrong guy. With how fast my body healed, I guess that is true in the literal sense.

    ¡°Well, you¡¯re fine, and that¡¯s good.¡±

    Says Caelan. I expect something more crazy, but that is good as well.

    ¡°So, is there anything new?¡±

    Iola asks. The one answering the question is the Orc Koros, who simply shakes his head before properly replying.

    ¡°The instructor didn¡¯t show up. We only did some light exercise before coming here.¡±

    So Brenna is still sulking, I take it?

    ¡°Still, the one who stopped the instructor from beating you further showed up after we were done. It¡¯s that very nice soldier guy that I met! He tasked us with a message for you when you wake up.¡±

    ¡°A message?¡±

    I ask Caelan what the message is.

    ¡°He said: When you are done napping, drag your sorry self over to the castle courtyard after night fall. Brenna will be waiting.¡±

    Well, that certainly sounds similar to that soldier I know of.

    Aside from Caelan, who doesn¡¯t seem to understand the situation, both Iola and Koros give me a worrying look. This is an important matter that needs to be solved, but I must do it alone, without the help of my squadmates, and they understand the risk. If I come alone and Brenna starts to act violent again, there will be no one who would help me.

    And I will not have it any other way.

    I stand up from my bed sheet. My body is sore, but my wounds are healed. I am ready to face Brenna and settle my business with her. Our problem is ours alone. This is something I have to do by myself.

    ¡­

    I arrive at the castle courtyard after the sun has set and the moon rises to the dark sky. This place is as empty as ever, but there are standing torches around to show the way for those who have business in this place in the night. And standing in the middle of them is the one-eyed woman with long silver hair, who¡¯s fully protected by her armor aside from her head. The daughter of the man who died saving me, the instructor bearing the hatred for me as the one who lived, Brenna Lodbrok.

    And here I am, standing face to face against her, with nothing but myself and the black cloak keeping me warm from the cold night. She said this is war, and thus you have to be mentally prepared for war. And indeed, I am ready for this war, so that¡¯s the reason why I came empty handed without any weapons.

    Because the only weapons I need in our personal war are words and my resolve.

    ¡°I¡¯ve come like you asked, Instructor. What is it that you want with me?¡±

    I am the first one to talk. My eyes meet with her ruby-colored eye. Her gaze is sharp, it¡¯s hard for me to read her intent, but whatever that is, it certainly feels hostile. Brenna holds her gaze, preparing to say something.

    ¡°Punch me!¡±

    And that¡¯s literally what she said. Punch her.

    ¡°¡­what¡­?¡±

    Sure, I would love to, but I can¡¯t just punch a woman out of the blue without a good reason.

    ¡°Did you not hear what I said? Or did my beating made you a deaf idiot? I said punch me, in the face, with all the strength you can mutter.¡±

    ¡°Sure, I heard you alright. But how can I punch you without knowing why?¡±

    Brenna sighs, tired of these whole charade when I should simply punch her to get it over with.

    ¡°It¡¯s just something to make us even. My actions back then was unfitting as an instructor. I got carried away by my emotion, and beat up my student without a valid reason. It¡¯s nothing much, but my face is here for you to punch, you can punch elsewhere if you like, provide you can punch through armor.¡±

    Okay¡­so she wants to apologize for what she did yesterday, but punching her after she¡¯s trying to apologize for her mistake¡­it just sounds wrong.

    ¡°Is there anything else we can do¡­aside from punching?¡±

    ¡°I am no saint, kisses and hugs won¡¯t let a grudge go that easy. It¡¯s not only for your sake, but mine as well. I won¡¯t stay sane knowing I did something like that and got away with a slap on the wrist. Now, are you going to punch me or what? We don¡¯t have all night. Or are you implying you don¡¯t have what it takes to punch a woman?¡±

    Shit, she doesn¡¯t want to make this easy for me, isn¡¯t she? I am willing to forgive her if she just simply say sorry, now I can¡¯t back down peacefully lest she berate me for being sane enough not to punch someone just to solve a dispute.

    Well, I guess the only way out is to do what she wants.

    ¡°Do you promise me you won¡¯t get mad afterward for punching you?¡±

    I ask. A safe insurance, in case things make a wrong turn.

    ¡°Fine, I promise. Now get it over with before my patience runs out.¡±

    With such a commanding voice it¡¯s still hard for me to believe she¡¯s asking me to punch her in the face. I¡¯m more scared about the things she would do later if I don¡¯t actually go through with this. And thus, I approach closer. Our eyes meet, and certainly she can see my gripping fists, preparing to do what she asks for, and Brenna accepts it without putting on any defenses. Her face is laid bare for me without any resistance.

    And thus, I strike. I throw a punch with the strength I think is appropriate, and my fist meets up with Brenna¡¯s face. I can feel her cheek being messed up by the force behind the punch, but ultimately it shouldn¡¯t have any long lasting effect and will heal in two days or three. I hope this is enough to satisfy her.

    But in the end, I am wrong. Brenna glares at me with eye of a devil, she grits her teeth in anger before retaliates with a very hard punch straight in my face, which sends me flying away.

    ¡°You son of a bitch!¡±

    Brenna yells out loud, almost like a roar as I struggle to stand up after facing the full might of her fist in my face.

    ¡°You said you won¡¯t get mad!¡±

    I yell.

    ¡°I am mad because you punched like a pussy! You didn¡¯t even leave a bloodied nose or send some teeth flying! My dead grandma can do better in her grave!¡±

    Okay¡­so she¡¯s mad because I didn¡¯t punch her hard enough? What is wrong with this woman?

    ¡°Now do it again! If your punch is weak, I¡¯ll show you what real punches feel like!¡±

    Shit, now she¡¯s trying to make this a contest? The anger from yesterday has returned back to me, no thanks to her punch. Propelled by emotional strength, I take up her challenge and rush at Brenna, throwing another punch straight to her nose.

    ¡°Arghh!¡±

    Brenna finally reacts after taking a punch right at her nose. I am careful enough not to aim at the red crystal on her forehead, which will end up bad, but I hope this will be enough to wake her up from this madness.

    And I am wrong again.

    ¡°Not enough! Don¡¯t move just your hand, put the strength of your whole body into it!¡±

    And once again, the mad woman punches me. Her fists are comparable to a truck, everytime I taste it, I feel like I got sent into another world beyond this plane, but whatever strength and resolve I have left inside prevent me from being knocked out cold. I stand up once again, and without awaiting any further input, I let my instinct guide me and punch Brenna with all the strength I can muster.

    And I can directly feel the hit through my hand. Brenna falls to the back for a bit, but ultimately remains still. Yet, her nose starts to bleed, which prompts a smile on her crazy face, as if she enjoys having her beautiful face beaten to a pulp.

    ¡°Better! But still not enough!¡±

    Brenna retaliates with her own hit, and this time, her punch is stronger than ever, with enough strength to make her earlier punches feel like a slap in the face. This time, I get sent flying again, but when I land to the dirt filled ground, my strength fades away, and my limbs fail to recognize my command thanks to the aftershock.

    ¡°Is that it? Is this the extent of your strength? You can¡¯t even beat up a woman the proper way? If so, I really pity you. There is a future awaiting you here, but your current strength won¡¯t be able to reach it. Better give it up and find something that fits your nature, instead of staying here to play soldier.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­mess with me!¡±

    Enough of Brenna¡¯s shit talking, enough of verbal abuse, she has no control over my future and destiny. I summon the strength that made me went through all the ordeals back during the siege, and drag myself up from the ground like my life depends on it. Maybe not my life, but my dignity does.

    ¡°Why strive to stand just to fall again? Why fight, knowing you would still get beaten regardless?¡±

    ¡°Because I have a promise to keep! And I don¡¯t do things half-assed!¡±

    I rush at her once again, and punch her before letting her have any kind of reaction.

    But my strength is only enough to let my fist reach her face. Brenna is barely fazed, my desperate punch is nothing but a simple touch in the cheek. But the woman does not retaliate, she waits.

    ¡°So please¡­instructor¡­teach me how to get stronger! Teach me, so that people stop dying to protect me, and I can protect people instead!¡±

    It¡¯s strange for an alchemist to ask for training from a soldier. But it¡¯s not enough to be ¡°just¡± an alchemist. I want strength, and being content with my role won¡¯t give me the strength I want to fulfill the promise I made with Iola. It matters not how I hate her guts, the woman before me is strong, and she knows how to teach people to get stronger. I care not how many runs and push up she can throw at my face, I¡¯ll overcome all of them!

    ¡°Hm.¡±

    The woman suddenly slaps me in the face. Not a punch, a slap. A light slap, still hurts like hell though thanks to that iron gauntlet of hers. Still, it fails to make any noticeable damage, and only helps to make me stand there like a clueless idiot.

    ¡°Your last punch is so pitiful it doesn¡¯t even worth punching you for it. You are weak. At least you acknowledged that yourself. Well, that only makes training you worth it.¡±

    Brenna smiles. A genuine smile from the bottom of her heart. The woman is crazy, I get it, but in the end, she isn¡¯t any different from the people I know. Still a person with feelings.

    ¡°Your training starts now. Repeat what we have done from the start. Nobody gets any sleep tonight until I am satisfied!¡±

    I take it back, this woman is fully crazy. But I am not afraid, because I too am not lacking in the crazy department as well.

    ¡°Damn it, you¡¯re on!¡±

    And we spend the whole night punching each other.

    -----------

    A man in armor continues watching an instructor and her student beating the crap out of each other from the castle¡¯s balcony. This place leads to a hallway connected to the main castle, yet there is no soldiers standing guard even during night fall. Perhaps this armored man is the sole guard here, but a guard should do his job instead of watching a quarrel to the courtyard below.

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    Yet again, the man continues to watch the young man and his instructor, caring not about the security of the castle¡¯s hallway. Or perhaps that is not needed, for it is not his purpose to stand here tonight.

    ¡°So, after all those time observing, what do you think about Akuma?¡±

    From the shadow of the hallways, where the flickering fire of the torches hanging on the walls fail to touch, a witch emerges and approaches the man in armor. He does not react, and continue his observation without looking back at the Headmaster of Melas Academy.

    ¡°¡­Pathetic¡­¡±

    The man with a skull-themed helmet mutters.

    ¡°You weren¡¯t any different once.¡±

    The witch Nilrem replies as she joins the soldier in watching the charade below.

    ¡°People change. I changed.¡±

    ¡°For the better or worse.¡±

    Nilrem mutters as she smiles.

    ¡°Still, from Demon King Dargoth¡¯s Right Wing to another run of the mill foot soldier was quite a change. If I didn¡¯t know better, I would have thought it was a punishment for your part in Demon King Dargoth¡¯s death.¡±

    The soldier remains silent, not willing to put up any defenses for himself.

    ¡°You are right to blame me, but that does not justify your actions after his death.¡±

    This time, the rebuttal makes the witch herself fall silent.

    ¡°You¡¯re right. After all those time, no matter how hard I try to convince myself what I did was right, from the bottom of my heart I knew it was a mistake. The world at is it today was born from that mistake, no matter how I try to atone for my sin, that mistake can never be undone.¡±

    The soldier averts his eyes away and turns his gaze to the witch with her youthful cloned body.

    ¡°You¡¯ve changed yourself. The hardheaded witch Nilrem I knew back then wouldn¡¯t flat out admit her mistakes, especially in front of me, of all people.¡±

    ¡°I still am a hardheaded witch. But you are the only here who understand our struggles. Even though we hated each other guts from the first moment we met, old friends are still old friends. I guess the reason I failed was because I didn¡¯t want to admit you were right, my pride prevented me from allowing it.¡±

    Nilrem sighs as flashes of memories of old return in her mind. Not all of them were pleasant, but nonetheless, they made her the woman she is today, no matter how many bodies she changed, her soul remains the same, as Archsage Nilrem.

    ¡°A thousand years already, huh?¡±

    The soldier replies.

    ¡°Sure is long. But we are not here to reminisce on the past, right?¡±

    Nilrem takes out from her robe a large envelope and hands it over to the soldier standing nearby. The soldier immediately takes off the seal and reads the content inside.

    ¡°These are the reports of the scouting squads in the frontier after the siege was over. Strange activities here and there, not from the humans stragglers or any of their scouts. The encounters were brief, ended in the loss of some our squads, but I can confirm these strange forces are neither ours or the humans. A third, unknown party has butted in our war affair.¡±

    The soldier makes a quick read over the reports and slides them back to the envelope afterward.

    ¡°There¡¯s no mistaking it. The enemy is on the move.¡±

    ¡°There is a travel permit inside, in case you get caught by our troops and they start asking too many questions. Officially, you are to travel as my secret agent, my seal will ensure they won¡¯t ask further details. Aside from that, feel free to do what your duty demands of you. This is the only thing I can do for you.¡±

    ¡°That is enough, thanks for your help.¡±

    The soldier replies. Nilrem howerver doesn¡¯t seem to be done with the conversation.

    ¡°Why hide and fight like a common soldier when you can simply regain your status and amass forces to combat the enemy? Out of all the ways to fight, you chose the hardest path by your lonesome.¡±

    ¡°The enemy isn¡¯t as obvious as a Demon King sitting on his throne, nor will they come knocking on our door with an endless horde of demons. No, they wait not in the dark, but in the shadow, gathering allies and resources under the light of day. And when they are done, they will make their move in one swift and decisive strike that will mark the end of us all. No gods nor kings would have the power to stop them. No, fighting that way would be ineffective, so I simply fight poison with poison.¡±

    Nilrem seems disturbed.

    ¡°The more reason why you shouldn¡¯t do it alone.¡±

    ¡°You said it yourself once. It¡¯s not our enemy, it¡¯s my enemy. And I think you were right. This is something I have to do by myself. It¡¯s personal, after all.¡±

    Nilrem grins her teeth in anger as she replies the soldier.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think they would come and snatch the Dragonsbane away right under our nose. Not to mention their increasing presence on the frontier. It¡¯s only a matter of time until my students accidentally stumble upon your enemy and end up like the scouts who died to give you those papers on your hands!¡±

    The soldier remains silent, unwillingly to speak out his role over the missing Dragonsbane. But nonetheless, he has found the right words to speak.

    ¡°I won¡¯t promise anything, but I will look out for your students out there if I happen to run into them.¡±

    ¡°Thank you¡­You go by the name Lapidoth nowadays, right? Please watch out for them, Lapidoth.¡±

    Lapidoth silently nods.

    ¡°If there isn¡¯t anything else, then I will go to make preparations.¡±

    Before Lapidoth has a chance to leave however, he hears Nilrem mutters something and stops his track immediately.

    ¡°One final thing, when will you give Deborah a visit? After all, she was your responsibility to begin with.¡±

    The moment that name comes up in their conversation, Lapidoth takes his glance off the Headmaster and into the young man lying on the dirt ground after being beaten by his instructor, who is also recovering her strength as she lies on the same ground as her student, completely unaware of the people watching them from above.

    ¡°She is in his hands now.¡±

    With that as his final words, Lapidoth finally departs in preparation for his next adventure, or rather, his next war.

 Chapter 67: The new request

    ¡¸Empyrean Mercenaries Camp Site ¨C Day 29th Month of Dark¡¹

    -No. I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t know anything about it.

    Lusine Isra replies to the young merchant as she puts the object he showed her back on his desk. The object is a piece of metal with the shape of a semicircle, as small as a harmless pebble on the side of the road. When the merchant Theodoric asked her - a rouge assassin - ¡°Can this piece of metal kill people?¡±, she thought he was joking and had prepared some punishment for wasting her time, but she put that on hold the moment Theodoric explained about the origin of this object: It was found inside the skull of the deceased Paladin Origen, back when they examined his body before cleaning it for his funeral. Just a piece of metal, but due to the lack of detail surrounding Origen¡¯s final moments, Theodoric decided to keep it for further investigation.

    -It seems to be a projectile. I have heard about Lunae assassins employing strange tools for their jobs, I thought you would know more about them.

    Theodoric replies behind his working desk, with both his hands by his chin.

    -There is an exotic Lunae technique that uses small balls made of steel as deadly projectile. They use them by focusing their strength of their fingers and shoot them with velocity stronger than an arrow. I don¡¯t know any further, but the object you showed me is not the same one used in that technique. Its shape makes it hard to launch with fingers alone. I don¡¯t think it is something used by Lunae assassin. Have you try asking that witch in your group about it?

    The blonde merchant sighs as he replies.

    -Already did before I have to ask you. She didn¡¯t know either. Anna can tell this is not something created by magic, but an alchemical constructed item instead. Still, Anna told me this is something even an amateur alchemist can create, so in the end, how it was made does not matter, but rather how it was used.

    -Too bad I don¡¯t have an answer that can satisfy you. My specialty is killing people, not giving people sound counseling. The next time you want to call me, better prepare a name you want to erase firsthand.

    The pony-tail girl with covered face replies. While the mystery surrounding Origen¡¯s death is an important problem to solve, in the end it interests her none. Her job won¡¯t change, no matter the situation.

    -Does it hurt if you stop being rigid even for a moment? You haven¡¯t change at all ever since the first time I met you. Even after you and your pals went rouge, you still keep your loyalty to the principles of the place you left behind.

    A smile appears on Theo¡¯s lips, completely unbaffled to his conversation partner being an ex-professional assassin hailed from a kingdom full of them.

    -An assassin without principles is nothing more than a simple murderer, rouge or not. Principles were what shaped our country as it is today. It¡¯s hard for an outsider like you to understand.

    -I may know nothing about assassins or killing arts, but I do know a few things about principles. My Master drilled them through my head back when I was still a trainee merchant, after all. Always stay true to your words, keep your promises, negotiate fair and clear, sell quality merchandise, do not be greedy, predict things for the long run¡­staying true to your principles is a way to maintain reputation, and with reputation comes business deals¡­were what he used to teach me whether I like it or not, back when he was still alive.

    The woman assassin has a longing look as she replies to the merchant¡¯s words.

    -Did your Master save three dying assassins on the road out of principle?

    -Not out of principle, but out of kindness. It mattered not to him whether you were assassins or peasants. He might be an grumpy old man, but he wasn¡¯t the type who would fret about saving someone in need. He did not seek to exploit you three as assassins under his employ, you proposed that to him as a way to pay your debt, just like how you wanted to pay your debt to him with your service for me as proxy.

    Lusine starts to give Theodoric a glaring look.

    -And you exploited us for all of our worth. Maybe instead of principles, he should have teach you good manners to make you bearable enough to converse with.

    -Maybe you could teach me instead, not out of your assassin principles, but out of kindness.

    Theodoric smiles, but the woman assassin realizes his intention and simply replies with a staring look.

    -If you don¡¯t have any tasks left for me then I shall take my leave.

    Without waiting for Theodoric¡¯s replies, Lusine exits through a hole in the tent behind his bookcase instead of the main entrance guarded by his men. While he has already used to this, Theodoric can¡¯t help but feel annoyed with how three deadly assassins can have access to his tent with wild abandon, and he can¡¯t even tell his closest friends about it.

    -She¡¯s still hard to deal with as always¡­

    Theodoric mutters to himself, it¡¯s been quite sometimes since the first time he met them during his apprenticeship as a merchant under his Master. He feels like their relationship hasn¡¯t change at all. All he wants is to make that deadly assassin capable to feel some hesitation before striking him down in case Theodoric ends up on her bad side. The current Lusine surely won¡¯t take more than a second to slit his throat should the need arise. If Theodoric can solve this quick, certainly the nightly sleep would feel better for him.

    That aside¡­

    Theodoric picks the strange piece of metal and examines it. The more he finds out about it, the more questions arise. Investigating this won¡¯t change the fact that Origen is dead, but the young merchant feels like the secret hidden within the origin of this insignificant piece of metal is far more important than stockpiling supplies or recruiting men for the next big war. The man had his life force drained, both his arms cut off, an explosion right at his torso, but this single piece of metal was the one thing the doctors predicted to be the cause of his death.

    -Just¡­what in the world are you?

    The merchant mutters to himself before realizing the futility of asking questions with no answers. He puts the piece of metal back to a metal box nearby before resuming to work on the piles of paperwork by his desk. Even though Theodoric is no fighter, he is nonetheless a soldier on his own battlefield. Papers detailing the procedures for coffee trading, reply letters from the Mercenary Guild about new recruits, scout reports regarding the situation on the frontline, supplies and weapons order contracts¡­and they never end, whenever he finishes one, three more will follow. Nevertheless, while Theodoric takes no joy in doing paperwork, he¡¯s not the one shedding their blood for his agenda. The last thing he should do is complaining about working under the roof of his warm tent while sitting comfortably on his chair.

    -Now that¡¯s one thing done.

    Theodoric signs the letter he has just finished and puts it into an envelope, he then proceeds to pour hot wax onto the envelope and stamps it with his own seal. It¡¯s a reply letter for his agents in the Suntos continent, the people he relies on to maintain his trade deals with the farmers at the Southern continent. Now that two major group of bandits in the area had been eliminated, trade can return to normal for merchants like him, all thanks to the effort of his friends Fino and Elisha.

    However¡­there is another problem¡­

    -Can I come in?

    A female voice comes from outside of his tent¡¯s entrance. Seeing he has no reason to refuse, Theodoric calmly replies.

    -Please do.

    As invited by the owner, the girl from outside enters the tent. She¡¯s a girl with boyish short blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing a sleeveless combat sweater and tight brown pant. She may try to look like a boy, but her slender figure betrays her expectation, even though she went and picked a broadsword as big as her as the weapon strapped on her back.

    -Any good news, Aisha?

    Theodoric replies to the freelance mercenary who occasionally does works for him. While many mercenaries prefer a stable income through joining a company, there isn¡¯t a lack of sellswords who prefer the freedom to pick the job they want, and thus freelancers were born, Aisha is one of them, though the girl is practically a member of the Empyrean in all but name.

    To reply Theodoric¡¯s question, Aisha simply shakes her head as she angrily sits to a chair nearby Theodoric¡¯s desk.

    -She still hasn¡¯t decided to come out of her tent. She refused any food or drink and didn¡¯t want anyone to come inside. It¡¯s strange for Elisha to be this way. Now I¡¯m starting to worry about her.

    Suddenly, the boyish girl Aisha grabs Theodoric by his collar. However, the young merchant doesn¡¯t react negatively even if his assailant is glaring at him with eyes full of daggers.

    -Did you do something you would regret, Theo?

    Despite the hostile intention hidden within her grip, Theodoric, or Theo as she calls him, simply puts his hand onto hers and calms her down. Seeing the honesty behind his eyes and gesture, Aisha backs down without a fuss and returns to her seat, which is something Theo appreciates, considering he does not know how the female assassin hiding behind his tent would react if things do get out of hand.

    -She has been like that ever since her return two days ago, from the mission I gave her and Fino.

    Theo starts filling in the details regarding their trip to Suntos continent, about the bandit extermination job. According to Fino¡¯s report, the mission was a success¡­technically. The infamous Rudo Bandits was destroyed, but the situation proved to be far more complex than Theo thought. In the end, the two of them made it back home, but the village of the horse nomads were destroyed, along with half their population, not to mention it left Elisha a mental scar that is too easy for Theo to assume what happened.

    After hearing what Theo has to say, the boyish freelancer silently groans before sighing. Theo keeps his silence, deferring the role of reopening the conversation to Aisha.

    -You could have asked me to join them! Depending only on those two to take on a whole bandit gang is a bit too much, don¡¯t you think?

    -They are my friends, I trust their abilities. Beside, you were on a job at the time, making it impossible to ask you.

    Aisha suddenly slams her fist on Theo¡¯s desk as she replies.

    -If you asked, I would gladly quit that job to join them! Three are better than two, don¡¯t you think!?

    -If you quit your job midway, it would ruin your reputation, and as a mercenary, freelance or not, you know how important reputation is, don¡¯t you?

    Aisha finds herself unable to answer, and reluctantly back down.

    -I personally want you to be part of our company, but as long as you continue to be a freelancer in order to complete your goal, then I can¡¯t do anything that risk the role you¡¯re playing. Sending the two of them was the only choice I could make. The aftermath of the siege left my men weakened and wounded, yet the amount of work only increases in numbers, the recruits from the Mercenary Guild are nowhere to be seen thanks to loads of red tape, and the bandit activities in Suntos hampered the trade routes and damaged one of our major financial sources. I couldn¡¯t afford anything aside from sending two of my best to help sustain ourselves.

    -I get it, I get it! You planned for everything. But I guess even you couldn¡¯t foresee the sudden things that might happen in a simple bandit extermination job.

    Theo falls deep in thought. Aisha is right, he simply thought it would be an easy job, mere bandits couldn¡¯t contest over his trump card, a hero in flesh and blood with the support of a Maiden. But even that turned out to be more complicated than what he thought it would turn out, not to mention the sudden appearance of a dragon in flesh and blood.

    -Not everything. If I can foresee anything, I should have learn to become a fortune teller instead.

    There are times Theo wish he could be a fortune teller and read the future, it would help him a lot to avert the bad things happening to his friends. But in the end, that is merely a wish unfulfilled. He failed to prevent his friend Elisha from shutting herself thanks to the aftermath of the mission he gave her. While they may tell him it¡¯s not his fault, subconsciously Theo knows it only happened due to them following his order.

    -So, now that Elisha is acting like this, what are you intending to do?

    -I guess only time will tell. If you and Fino failed then I don¡¯t know who can. We can¡¯t force her in this matter.

    Theo replies. Aisha sighs as she stands up from her chair, seeing the futileness of the conversation.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    -The next time I come back, you better make her feel fine again!

    With that as a farewell, Aisha walks out of the tent looking pissed. Theo can¡¯t help but let out a silent sigh. If he has to keep up with hard to deal with women all the time, maybe he¡¯ll go insane before the day he gets killed by an enemy¡¯s blade. Still, above all else, Theo himself wants Elisha¡¯s smile to return as soon as possible even without Aisha¡¯s threat. The beastgirl¡¯s smile is the one thing that keeps their morale from collapsing to the stress of the battlefield, and it will certainly sadden him and everyone else to see it hidden behind her tent.

    -Still, what can I do? Tear down her tent?

    Theo mutters to himself before he resumes his work. However, the distress puts a dent onto his productivity, and by the time the night arrives, Theo only manages to finish half of his paperwork. He goes out of his tent for a brief walk under the night, and of course, to relief himself of his bodily needs as well.

    -Well, another all-nighter then.

    After visiting the kitchen and asks the company¡¯s cook to send him his dinner by near midnight, Theo snatches away a loaf of bread as emergency ration and heads back to his tent. The guards guarding his tents have already changed their shift with another batch. Seems like there¡¯s nothing noteworthy to report, Theo thanks the two man responsible for his safety before heading inside his own tent.

    To his surprise, Theo finds himself not alone in his abode. There is a girl standing in the middle of his tent, waiting for his arrival. His childhood friend Elisha, the catgirl with short black-hair, the Maiden in white robe. Yet the bright and cheerful girl he knows is standing there waiting for him in silent. Under the dim light of the crystals illuminating the tent, Theo sees that there are eye bags under her eyes. She also looks thinner than usual, something Theo is not surprised to see considering how she rejected food and drink during the time she shut herself in. But to express his worries right now isn¡¯t something he should do right now.

    -You look like you could really use some sleep.

    And surprisingly, it works. Elisha gives her friend a silent smile, enough to tell Theo he¡¯s on the right track.

    -Don¡¯t just stand there, have a seat. Are you thirsty? Wait a bit, I¡¯ll make something.

    Hearing his words, Elisha silently sits down the chair for guest while Theo heads to a small table by his bookcase. Atop of it is a strange device constructed through alchemy, a one of a kind in the world. Theo pours water into it from a bottle nearby, and he puts some black beans stored neatly inside a box on to the top of the device. After activating it, hot steam rises from the device thanks to the newly boiled water, and when mixed with grinded beans into powder, the mix starts to produce drops of dark liquid filled with strange aroma, both sweet and bitter.

    That is coffee, as Theo¡¯s Master once called it. And now, it is his favorite drink, enough for him to make a side living through trading coffee beans.

    -Come to think of it. All the visitors I have today were women. Somehow I am both glad and scared.

    Theo says out loud, making idle chat while waiting for his coffee to finish.

    -Your men trust you. I¡¯m sure they know you¡¯re not fooling around.

    -If only men are as simple as you said they are.

    Before the talk gets to the awkward territory, the device finishes making coffee. Theo quickly prepares two cups and pours the drink inside them. Afterward, he opens a small pot nearby and drops two cubes of sugar inside one cup before giving it to Elisha and takes the remaining cup for himself.

    -Careful, it¡¯s still hot.

    Despite his warning, the catgirl has no trouble handling the hot cup of coffee. Theo returns to the chair behind his desk with his coffee in hand. The loaf of bread still sit waiting on his desk, and without a moment of thinking, Theo tears it in half and gives it to the catgirl while he takes the other.

    -Thank you, Theo.

    The following moments is a simple silence, with the two of them eating their bland, cold bread while filling their throat with sips of hot black coffee. Despite that, the two childhood friends seem to enjoy the moment without any fuss. Elisha is eating tiny bits of bread, still trying to get used to the taste of food again, while Theo eats his bread quick without any care of taste, but the same is not applied to his treasured coffee.

    -You used have a sweet tooth back when we were children, yet after you returned from your training with your Master, somehow you unexpectedly took a liking to this bitter drink. That really surprised me and Fino.

    Under the support of food and drink, Elisha seems to be a bit more energetic, regaining glimpses of her former self. With a simple smile on his face, Theo replies.

    -Things just happened. And while I still like sweets, after everything, I¡¯m starting to understand why my Master liked this stuff so much. It also helps sustain me to pull some all-nighters for mountains of paperwork, like tonight.

    Elisha seems amused and almost makes a comeback before she realizes she herself also hasn¡¯t had any sleep for the past few days, giving her no right to lecture Theo on his unhealthy habit. The two fall silent again to enjoy their drink.

    -How are things¡­at the Aherin tribe?

    The mood turns a bit sour after Elisha asks her question. Theo thinks it may still be a painful memory for her, but if she has the courage to ask, then he finds no reason not to answer.

    -The winter is almost over, a few other tribes have returned from the South. They are helping the Aherin rebuild their tribe. The progress is slow, but with time, the Aherin tribe will return to how it used to be. The mental scar however maybe a different matter, but judging from what I saw during our time with our fallen friend Gust, I think their people are strong, they will persist through this ordeal.

    A faint smile appears on Elisha¡¯s lips. She seems to have calm down after hearing Theo¡¯s words. The young merchant is glad his friend has gotten better, however, a single doubt remains in his mind. There is something more to this, or else Elisha won¡¯t sneak into his tent by night just for a cup of coffee.

    -I got a message from an emissary of the Light God Church.

    Theo remains silent, knowing his hunch is right. Elisha is still a liaison to the church, even if she is currently a member of his mercenary company. Is this about what happened at Suntos? Theo thinks the Church has its own intelligence network, so something like this may not escape their ears. They may want him to return Elisha back to their protection. After all, she is still a Maiden of Heloise, and they simply aren¡¯t willing to let her be endangered on his whim for his company¡¯s good. Theo finds his hands having cold sweat from the pure speculation in his head, but the truth solely lies within Elisha¡¯s words, not in his mind.

    -It is about a request from the Holy Herald himself. I¡¯m sure you still remember him.

    -Not as the current Holy Herald, but simply as Reverend Jeremiel. I was surprised when the old man who always yelled at us everytime we came back after playing became the one sitting on the highest seat of Luminis¡¯s hierarchy. When he of all people became the Holy Herald, I used to think it was impossible for the Church to run out of incompetent priests to elect.

    Come to think of it, the sole reason why Elisha is allowed to join his mercenary band is because of the ex-Reverend Jeremiel¡¯s approval. Theo understands him well enough to know he would actually force Elisha to come back after something like what happened at Suntos. If Jeremiel really asked, then Theo has no reason to refuse him, for Elisha¡¯s own good.

    -Yes, the Church wasn¡¯t the most pleasant place in the past, but it was a dark time for all the Heaven Realm thanks to Demon King Bartolo¡¯s invasion. When Reverend Jeremiel became the Holy Herald, the reforms he made had started to regain the faith of people in the Church. And certainly, he cared not only for the good of the Church, but for the children of Lielos as well. I guess that is why His Holiness asked of me for this task¡­

    Theo is a bit relieved when he heard the word ¡°task¡±. It means Elisha can still stay for the time being, but a task directly from the Holy Herald himself must be extremely important. Theo continues to listen to what Elisha has to say.

    -His Holiness deems the war efforts in the Demon Realm vital for the future of the Heaven Realm as a whole. The loss of Origen is a huge blow to the Church and Luminis, but nonetheless that does not make him want to back down from fighting. The eight Kings of the Nine Kingdoms are still in argument about how many forces they need to send to the frontlines, and without a unified voice, the Church can¡¯t send more soldiers lest it complicates matters even more. However, the soldiers in the frontlines are always in need of healers, so there are going to be a batch of trained priests and priestesses coming to this place as the Church¡¯s contribution. And what His Holiness wants¡­is for me to help and escort them until they reach the frontlines.

    Theo starts to understand the reason behind the Herald¡¯s action. Having priests and priestess helping out will not only strengthen the forces of the Alliance, but also solidifying faith of the common people to the church, and improving morales since many soldiers here are believers. Not to mention the Church houses a plethora of Light magic techniques, which are effective to deal with the wickedness of the demon kind. Picking Elisha is also a good decision, with Origen gone, she is the most prominent member of the Church in the frontline. Her presence will put the newly arrived priests and priestesses at ease, while her experience will help them survive and adapt to life on the frontline. However¡­

    -Is there a problem? Do you have a reason to refuse?

    Theo asks the catgirl. If Elisha is confident about this, she won¡¯t need to go to his place at night looking so conflicted.

    -I can¡¯t tell you the details, even though I wanted to. The situation led to the siege of Melas made His Holiness afraid of the risk of information leak. What I can tell you¡­is that if I accept this request, I will do it as a member of the Church, not as a member of your company. The Church will handle the planning and preparation within their own circle. Even if I wanted to, I can¡¯t employ yours or Fino¡¯s help, and I know your hands are also tied, so I can¡¯t ask that of you.

    -And? I know your hesitation must come from something else, not just this.

    Elisha puts on a smile mixed with grief and sadness to reply her friend.

    -It¡¯s just¡­I¡¯m afraid and scared¡­

    Suddenly, tears flow out from Elisha¡¯s eyes. She has yet to cry out loud, but it¡¯s clear that she¡¯s on the verge of collapsing just to cry to her heart¡¯s content. This catches Theo off guard, but he remains silent to listen to Elisha¡¯s words.

    -You trusted me¡­with an important mission¡­Yet I failed you¡­I couldn¡¯t protect those people, and could only watch them die without being able to do anything¡­but¡­I was still saved, and for what reason but to witness my failure in all of its glory? Now, even the Holy Herald wanted to put the fate of his servants onto my hands¡­but¡­what if I fail them again? Just like how I failed the people of Aherin? I don¡¯t think I can handle¡­such an important responsibility¡­

    Theo unconsciously stands up and approaches Elisha. And without thinking, the young merchant embraces the catgirl into his chest, covering the shorter girl under the care of his arms with his right hand on the back of her head.

    -Cry all you want. I won¡¯t let anyone see you.

    Elisha hesitates at first, but soon she finds herself unable to contain the flow of tears coming through her eyes. And she cries, cries with what little strength she regained from a piece of bread and a bit of bittersweet coffee. Cares not to be heard by the guards outside, Elisha cries into Theo¡¯s chest, wetting his shirt with her tears. His hands are warm, his fur coat is also warm, like a child¡¯s cradle, so comfortable, so peaceful. But eventually, Elisha has to return to her sense, to reality, not to continue to escape her duty. And so, Theo lets his arms go as Elisha wipes the remaining tears off her eyes.

    -So embarrassing. I didn¡¯t even let Fino see me crying, yet you have been always by my side everytime I have the urge to cry.

    -You are like the little sister I never had. This is the least I can do to you, Miss Crybaby.

    Theo suddenly pinches Elisha¡¯s nose. The cat girl is annoyed at first, but soon after she finds herself smiling from Theo¡¯s playful attitude. She is glad she came to him for help, Theo has always been a good listener to the people in his company.

    -But that doesn¡¯t change the future I must face. There is a good chance the demons may attack us during my escort, and if that moment comes, I will have to fight, and I may have to kill¡­

    -Don¡¯t disturb yourself with thoughts like ¡°I must be stronger, I must be able to destroy the enemy¡±. You are not a warrior like Fino, you are our healer. Your compassion is your weapon, don¡¯t try to compare your strength with our warriors like that. You are fine the way you are, don¡¯t lose sight of yourself. If you find it hard to march on knowing you will have to kill, then refuse the Church¡¯s request and continue to be our healer. I¡¯m sure the Holy Herald would understand.

    Even after hearing Theo¡¯s words, Elisha still looks conflicted.

    -That maybe is what I want at the bottom of my heart, but I can¡¯t just ignore this and pretend it¡¯s not my problem anymore. Especially with what happened to the Aherin tribe, I can¡¯t keep being ignorant and content with fighting through healing people¡¯s wounds when people still keep getting hurt and killed¡­

    Theo sighs. If it comes down to this, then he has no reason to hold back.

    -Then I won¡¯t be na?ve for your sake anymore. If you are still willing to go and help them, and if an enemy shows up before you, do not hesitate, kill them. Don¡¯t let your compassion hold you back, if you are willing to step on to the battlefield then it¡¯s your job and duty to kill, or else, you would only letting yourself meaninglessly killed.

    Elisha feels like Theo¡¯s aura changed. The current man before her isn¡¯t the big brother willing to lend his chest to a crying sister, but a stern, cold, and calculated mercenary leader who sells death as a merchandise. No matter the time they spent, Elisha still hasn¡¯t be able to get used to this side of him, to her, he has always been a caring big brother, and that makes her forget his job, his role and his ambition.

    -Even so¡­

    -Don¡¯t make any excuse. If you do this, don¡¯t expect your hands to stay clean afterward. To get to where we are today, even I and Fino have to do things we would deeply regret, but if we want to make our actions to have meaning and impact, we can¡¯t be half-hearted about it and expect things would go smoothly if we stay true to our belief and moral. Fino may still have some hope and kindness left inside him, but mine may have already dried out at this point. If you ask me for my honest advice, I would simply tell you to shut up, stop whining, kill your enemy and don¡¯t think anything meaningful about it. It¡¯s simply what we call normal in this forsaken shithole of a continent.

    Says Theo, the same man who willingly ordered his assassins to set a makeshift hospital on fire just so he could gain an edge on the negotiation table, the same man who rose to where he is today on the blood of innocent farmers rebelling against an unjust king, and made his kind-hearted friend directly performed the deed. Without any honeyed words masking his face, Theodoric is simply a despicable human being, unworthy of being near anyone with proper moral, and he understands that, he experienced that, and he wants to teach the girl he think as his sister the lesson he had from all of those experiences.

    Elisha seems scared of this facet of Theo she isn¡¯t used to. But her compassion wins over her fear, whatever he says, she knows it¡¯s for her old good. Elisha unconsciously reaches her hand toward Theo¡¯s face, but he catches it midway, and simply keeps holding her hand.

    -The battlefield is a gray place. Nobody can define what is ¡°Right¡± and ¡°Wrong¡± once the bloodshed starts. But if there is something I still firmly believe in that terrible place, it is: taking a life to protect another is not a sin. Elisha, don¡¯t hesitate to kill if you want to protect someone. I¡¯m sure Lielos would forgive you if you take a life to protect another. If not, all of his children would already face divine retribution a long time ago, ha ha ha.

    Theo ends his words with an ironic laugh, but Elisha simply nods. Suddenly, the catgirl hugs him tight, surprising even the man who was bold enough to hug her minutes prior. After feeling enough of his warmth, Elisha lets him go, with a smile on her face mixed with a blush.

    -Thank you, Theo. I understand now. I will make preparation by tonight and leave next morning. It¡¯s a shame I can¡¯t say goodbye to everyone though, but if everybody is busy with their job then it can¡¯t be helped.

    -Why say goodbye? It¡¯s not like you¡¯ll work for the Church forever afterward. You are a member of my Empyrean Mercenaries, if the Church wants you back, I won¡¯t give you up without a fight!

    Theo¡¯s reply manages to get a giggle out of the catgirl. Nonetheless, Elisha knows she has overstayed her welcome, Theo has his paperwork to do and she also has to make preparation for the sortie tomorrow morning.

    -I will return, please wait for me, Theo.

    -I wish you all the luck in the world, Elisha.

    The two exchange smile before Elisha finally bids her farewell and walks out of Theo¡¯s tent. With his last guest of the night out of sight, silence returns to the merchant¡¯s abode. Yet he still has yet to resume his paperwork. Theo glares at the top of his tent. The cloth has blocked away the entrance to the sky and the night, without any chance to see the Moon and the stars through its thickness. Nonetheless, it fails to make Theo try in hope to reach a God who is no longer around in this world.

    -Dear God¡­Dear Lielos, if you can still hear my voice then please¡­protect your child Elisha in my stead.

 Chapter 68: The last assignment

    ¡¸Darkwood Entrance ¨C Day 25th Month of Dark¡¹

    The instructor rushes at me with an iron sword in hand. It is a blunt weapon used for training, but in her hands even a blunt iron sword is not any less deadly than a real weapon, especially when swung with speed and might of a veteran fencer. The same iron sword in my hand looks like a toothpick compared to hers. Brenna Lodbrock continues thursting her sword like a swarm of bees stinging a hungry bear, forcing me to rapidly step further backward. Even if this is training, the woman is serious, any mistakes may lead to my death.

    Last night there was a snowstorm in the area, although it was already over by morning, the aftermath left behind a yard filled with white snow. And of course, being the stern instructor she is, Brenna doesn¡¯t even let the thought of cancelling our daily training cross her mind. Caelan, Koros and Iola have their own training to do, while I am stuck here sparring with Brenna under a ground packed with snow. The snow is hindering my movement, it¡¯s sticky and slippery, I¡¯m certainly not used enough to fight on this kind of terrain, and the pressure from Brenna certainly doesn¡¯t help.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? We don¡¯t have all day!¡±

    Brenna puts her assault on hold as she taunts me. In the end, I haven¡¯t managed to get on the offensive even once ever since our sparring started. Her assaults are rentless without any openings to exploit, her footwork is perfect even on the snowground, although considering her experience on the frontline prior to her new job, I guess that is not something to be surprised of. Yet, she expects me to to hit her torso at least once when she¡¯s going all out like that?

    ¡°Remember what I taught you, Akuma! You asked me how to get stronger, so I taught you with the best of my abilities. It¡¯s time for you put those knowledge into practice!¡±

    And thus, Brenna resumes our sparring. She rushes at me in an instant and thursts her sword at my head. My reflex kicks in and deflects her sword, but I fail to find an opening to retalialte, and thus my remaining choice is to fall back out of her sword¡¯s reach.

    ¡°Playing safe will get you nowhere! In a fight, you either risk everything or lose everything!¡±

    Her teachings are certainly as aggressive as she is. Brenna is hardly a fan of teaching theorical knowledge, the things she taught me about fighting was how to end the fight in the fastest way possible: Don¡¯t try fancy moves, don¡¯t make elaborate plans, simply kill the oppenent before they kill you. Easier said than done, however¡­

    ¡°Uoaagghhh!¡±

    I yell. Tired of staying on the defensive, I rush at her with my sword in hand and throw several slashes at her. Unsurpisingly, Brenna easily dodges them all, and counters my offensive attacks by throwing a jab at my face.

    ¡°Just because you¡¯re desperate doesn¡¯t mean you should lose your composure!¡±

    I fall back. My nose is bloodied, but considering she punched me instead of stabbing me, I guess I don¡¯t even deserve to get stabbed by her. But thanks to her punch, I can already feel blood flowing into my brain, helping me regain my composure. I¡¯m learning it, what Brenna is trying to teach me through all these brutal trainings. I resume my fighting stance, the basic sword fighting stance she taught me before throwing everything else out of the window in favor of hands-on experience, but now I understand, fighting with your life on the line isn¡¯t something suitable to be taught through words.

    ¡°Hiyahhh!¡±

    I rush at her and throw a slash. A common attack, not too different from what I tried prior, and just as expected, Brenna easily counters me...or would be, if I don¡¯t cancel my attack midway and use the opportunity to approach Brenna¡¯s right side, her blind side thanks to a lack of a right eye.

    ¡°A feint!¡±

    Yes, a feint, just as she says it out loud. My sudden movement puts her concentration in shambles, presenting many openings for me to strike, but it¡¯s too risky for me to just barge in like that. I crossed swords with her many times during my training, and just as many times I fell for her deceits with obvious openings like that, inviting me into a danger zone just to get countered in the most painful way possible. But I¡¯ve learned from my mistakes, because that¡¯s what it means to be trained!

    ¡°Ohyahhhh!¡±

    I yell out loud, like a battle cry before a final assault. But I don¡¯t charge in mindlessly like how my instructor expects me to do. I simply approach closer and circling around her right side, looking for a genuine opening that isn¡¯t simply a feint. Brenna throws a swipe to chase me out of her blind spot, but I have more advantage than her, it isn¡¯t hard to dodge her swing while still maintaining an exploitable location in her blind spot.

    ¡°Tch.¡±

    Seems like Brenna herself is pissed, so much for teachings about staying cool in combat. In an attempt to regain her advantage, Brenna rushes forward while making a barrage of thursts. But at this point, I¡¯m already familiar myself with her attacks. Which is why...my counter attack starts here!

    ¡°Hyah!¡±

    I throw a downward slash, not aiming at the woman herself, but her sword instead, right at her crossguard, locking her sword from reaching me.

    ¡°What!?¡±

    The woman is surprised just as I expected, but it¡¯s too easy for her to retract her sword, rendering my efforts meaningless. But I already have a follow up plan prepared.

    ¡°My apology in advance!¡±

    I kick some snow off the ground, aiming straight at Brenna¡¯s remaining eye. Certainly a dirty move, if I must say, but I won¡¯t even have any chance to beat her if I don¡¯t play dirty. And sure enough, my trick works, and Brenna is temporary blinded from snow blocking her view. Now comes my final counterattack!

    ¡°It¡¯s already over!¡±

    After swiftly pushing away her own sword, with the support from that momentum, I turn myself around and pour all my strength into a final swing, aiming at Brenna¡¯s armored stomach. With her armor protecting her, even if I attack her with all my strength, I won¡¯t be able to harm her in any way. One hit is all I need to end this sparring with my victory.

    I can do this. I can do this!

    That is my thought, until my eyes catch glimpses of blood.

    Brenna¡¯s blood, reddening the shirt around her stomach. Only a tiny bit, but it¡¯s still visible right where her armor can¡¯t protect her. Unconsciously, I find myself hesitate to make my final strike.

    And that becomes my mistake, as Brenna wipes the snow off her face and throws a kick at my legs then knocks me down the ground with an elbow strike right at my chest.

    ¡°Argh!¡±

    But that is simply not enough for her, Brenna puts her right shoe at my throat, with enough force to make me uncomfortable, but not enough to choke me to the point of asphyxiation. When I throw a look at her, all I see is an angry beast, very very angry beast. Her sole remaining red eye is filled with rage, understandbly considering what I did. I hope she heard my apology earlier.

    ¡°Why did you hesistate?¡±

    However, the thing she says is not what I expected her to say.

    ¡°WHY DID YOU HESITATE!?¡±

    Brenna yells, her anger becomes even more visible. She pours more strength into her foot, causing real pain to me in attempt to force an answer.

    ¡°I saw...you bleeding...I was afraid...I might hurt you¡­¡±

    Brenna almost explodes from anger, but after a moment to reclaim her cool, my instructor makes a resigned sigh as she puts her shoe off my throat. Brenna throws away the sparring sword like a piece of junk and sits down on the snowy ground. While touching her wounded stomach, Brenna says:

    ¡°Do you think I am that fragile?¡±

    I get up. My body is still hurt from the abuse earlier, so I don¡¯t even bother to try standing up. Still sitting on the snow, I reply.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that...it¡¯s just...when it comes to the real deal, I realize I still have second thoughts about harming and killing someone.¡±

    A part of my hesitation comes from Brenna¡¯s own welfare in a way. She has been training us nonstop ever since we seriously started our training ten days ago. All those training hardly gave us anytime to properly rest, and the same applied to her too. I¡¯m surprised it took this long for her old wounds to open up again.

    But another part...is because this is the only occasion I manage to find myself in the position to decide the life of someone. Sure, just because I¡¯m centimeters away to tap Brenna on her armor doesn¡¯t mean I have to fall for such weak sentimentality. But seing her blood, even just tiny bits of it, reminds me of how fragile people are, demons or not.

    ¡°You¡¯re so emotionally vulnerable for someone who had no qualm to take away the lives of Origen and his men.¡±

    ¡°It was a life or death situation! I had to do what I had to do...If I didn¡¯t, I wouldn¡¯t be here today¡­¡±

    I yell. Even after weeks of relatively peace, I still can¡¯t forget the lingering feelings that siege left me. Then again, it made such an impact in my life that it would be a problem if I can easily forget it.

    ¡°So my training is still not life threatening enough? Seems like I have been too forgiving to you maggots lately¡­!¡±

    Suddenly, I feel evil intents in every words Brenna makes. Our gaze meets as Brenna turns back with a devilish smile. Whatever she¡¯s planning, it still sends a chill down my spine as I pray she¡¯s only joking, hopefully.

    ¡°But well, I know what to do with you.¡±

    Brenna nonchalantly stands up, she stretches her arms and in a blink of an eye, Brenna is already standing next to me. Before I manage to do anything, she kicks me down and sits on my chest. Her left arm is pinning my right arm, while her right steals my own blunt iron sword as she puts it by my throat. I think this is merely another an attempt to intimidate me, just like how she always does all the time, but her dagger-filled eyes is one thing, my bleeding throat from being cut by her blunt sword is another. Blood loss combined with locked movement makes me feel something I haven¡¯t felt ever since the siege of Melas ended.

    Fear.

    As my throat continues bleeding from the scratch, Brenna puts her face close to mine as she emotionlessly mutters.

    ¡°If this is a battlefield, I wouldn¡¯t hesitate to slit your throat. Do you understand why?¡±

    ¡°Because you kill your enemy on the battlefield. If you have to attack me, then that means I am your enemy. A veteran soldier like you won¡¯t have trouble killing your enemy, no matter who they are...your student or not¡­¡±

    Right...enemies must be killed. Isn¡¯t that obvious? Isn¡¯t that what I¡¯ve been doing ever since I dragged myself into this mess by my own choice? It doesn¡¯t matter for what righteous causes these humans are fighting for, if they draw their swords against me, it¡¯s only natural to consider them as enemies then do what I must.

    Then why do I still have hesitation about it? Why do my hands shake from the thought of consciously ending a life with my own free will, untampered by something like the fear of death or survival instinct?

    ¡°I don¡¯t remember you being this dumb, Akuma. As far as I know, you are pretty bright in your own way, then why are you saying such dumb things?¡±

    I throw at Brenna a bewildered look. Did I get it wrong? Wouldn¡¯t a soldier with mind of steel like her consider the destruction of her enemy the priority?

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t hesitate because I don¡¯t have the luxury to make a choice.¡±

    Says Brenna.

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    ¡°If you think you ever have a choice then you¡¯re just deluding yourself, you maggot!¡±

    My instructor yells at me, face to face. My eardrums ring from the sheer sound she made, but my mind is even more puzzled by Brenna¡¯s sudden response. Before I have a chance to ask however, the instructor herself explains.

    ¡°Do you really think you are the only one who have to fight? Do you think only you have the privilage to shed blood? Or your comrades truly don¡¯t have a place in your heart?¡±

    Ah...that¡¯s right...I forgot about why I fight in the first place¡­

    Because I don¡¯t want anyone else to die on me anymore.

    ¡°Regret killing your enemies, or regret losing your comrades. I hope you know what¡¯s best for you.¡±

    Just as Brenna finishes her speech, I hear the return of my remaining teammates. From the forest entrance, Caelan and Koros emerge, their bodies chained into a huge block of stone made from alchemy as they drag it out of the forest in unison. Their shirts are drenched in sweat, while they try to hang on to their consciousness, it¡¯s blatantly clear they are exhausted. As she catches sight of their return, Brenna nonchalantly gets off my body like the charade earlier is simply daily practice.

    ¡°Well done, you two.¡±

    Seeing their succesful arrival as the end result of their assigment, the instructor tells the two fighters to be as ease as she slashes away the chains binding them with her blunt training sword. When their bound is broken, Koros and Caelan fall down to the snowy ground, only a few breaths away from death by exhaustion, probably...Brenna quits spending more time on them, though, since our one remaining teammate is still in the middle of running to the finish line. It takes about a minute until Iola reaches the goal, before letting her legs crumble from sheer exhaustion. Unlike our first practice, this time Iola already has prepared herself a proper jumpsuit for physical training...not that it helped improve her already low stamina over night.

    ¡°I...can¡¯t...do it...anymore¡­¡±

    Iola mutters as she lays herself on the snowy ground, cleanliness be damned.

    ¡°It only took you ten days, but you finally managed it, five lap around the forest on your own without rest. I¡¯d say that¡¯s quite an achievement for you, Miss Moreau. Be proud.¡±

    Brenna praises the witch girl, not that the girl is in any condition to react to the praise. Seeing how there¡¯s no point to continue the training when every participants are already beaten from exhaustion, Brenna declares:

    ¡°Well, how about we wrap today up early than the usual?¡±

    But no one answers, we are too busy being exhausted to reply. Well, maybe except me, I still have some strength left to reply, but it feels weird to do that by myself while the rest of my team are beaten like kneaded dough.

    ¡°Come on, give me some reaction. If you guys don¡¯t, I¡¯ll cancel the two days off I¡¯m going to give you!¡±

    Like a sudden rain to a dried land, the moment the words ¡°days off¡± reach our ears, we become rejuvenated from the brink of death and flock to the side of Brenna like sheeps to a shepherd.

    ¡°Did you just say ¡°Days off¡±, Instructor? And two of them? You¡¯re not fooling me again like that time in the cafeteria, right?¡±

    ¡°Of course not! Are you doubting your beloved instructor?¡±

    Brenna proudly replies Caelan¡¯s doubt, a doubt not too unprofound. All of us once doubt the words ¡°rest¡± and ¡°days off¡± even exist in her vocabulary, at least until today.

    ¡°And what''s the catch, dear beloved instructor?¡±

    I ask Brenna, knowing in my mind such an easy rest must have another meaning behind it. Brenna simply smiles as she utters a single word.

    ¡°Homework!¡±

    -------------------

    When the instructor said the word ¡°Homework¡±, I would expected her to give us a random training regime to do by ourselves, or at least some kind of paperwork to do, like quizzes and the likes.

    I just didn¡¯t expect her to lead us to the castle¡¯s stable for the sake of her ¡°Homework¡±.

    Another thing I failed to expect is that the castle¡¯s stable isn¡¯t even a stable. Stables hold horses, but their stable holds huge wolf-like creatures they called Warg. Why they didn¡¯t call their stable a kennel is beyond me, because this place looks like everything a kennel would be: dirty, messy and smelly, only bigger in size in order to keep these wild Wargs behind their iron cages.

    Oh damn, the smell...the horrible smell...Iola can be seen trying to protect her nose with her hands, not that it helps her face from turning pale due to the distinct smell...

    ¡°Wow, this place smells like shit!¡±

    Nonchalantly says a very excited Caelan.

    ¡°Thanks, Caelan. We wouldn¡¯t know without you.¡±

    I reply, sarcastically. Unaffected by our banter, the Orc named Koros suddenly steps forward and takes a deep breath as he comments with a faint smile.

    ¡°Smells like home.¡±

    ¡°Exactly!¡±

    Brenna replies with the same enthusiasm as Caelan. She steps forward and waves her hand around to introduce us to this place.

    ¡°Work your ass long enough on the frontline and eventually you¡¯d be glad to get to smell this again at the home base.¡±

    Somehow dying on the battlefield doesn¡¯t sound that bad compared to that¡­

    ¡°Does this mean we¡¯ll get our first mission soon, Instructor?¡±

    Koros suddenly asks. His question drags Brenna away from her excitement and resumes her serious role as our instructor.

    ¡°A 10 for intuition, Mr.Hafner! As your comrade has correctly guessed, the top brass is currently deciding on what task you will do as your first mission. In the next two days, I¡¯ll be busy being bossed around by the top brass regarding the details and preparations. What I can say with certainty is we¡¯ll depart on the 28th, the day after your break ends.¡±

    So not counting today, we have the 26th and 27th for a break, but with the ¡°homework¡± Brenna has in store for us, I doubt we can enjoy those days with leisure.

    ¡°Regarding your homework, I¡¯ll keep it simple: For the next two days, all of you will have to choose a Warg inside this stable, and you will get accustomed with riding it before our departure. I will not tolerate any excuses and failures!¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Easier said than done. We¡¯re not talking about horses here, but big, filthy and angry wolves the size of horses. And even then I doubt it will be that easy to learn how to ride such a creature in a few days.

    ¡°Is it even possible to learn how to ride them in just two days?¡±

    I voice my concern. Suddenly, an armored man walks out from inside of the stable. He has a wolf-shaped helmet, yet despite its imposing design, the dirty apron on his body and a broom on his hand suggests he¡¯s simply a caretaker working in this stable.

    ¡°You youngster don¡¯t have anything to worry about. These Wargs are already well trained, because the ones you can choose are mostly those who lost their owners during the invasion. As long as you can get them to accept you, the rest should be simple to pick up from.¡±

    The caretaker replies before turning to our instructor.

    ¡°The preparations are done. Your students are good to go, Miss Lodbrok.¡±

    ¡°Well then. Let us go, we don¡¯t have all day.¡±

    After being green-lit, our group follow Brenna and the stable caretaker. The area we were in prior is the stable with already-owned Wargs, as explained by the caretaker as we go. The Wargs here are kept in small individual cages, with saddles nearby for quick preparation in case the riders need a mount in a moment¡¯s notice. The Wargs here are silent, most are soundly sleeping, probably from exhaustion by the constant need for their service in this warring time.

    Unlike the already owned Wargs, the Wargs for us are way noisier. These Wargs are locked up in the deepest part of the stable, in big cages capable of holding two to three Wargs at the same time. The tamer ones are simply strolling restlessly inside their cage. The more ferocious Wargs can be seen fighting among each other, which only end with a hit from the caretaker¡¯s broom outside of the cage.

    ¡°Here you go. I kept this place as clean as I could, not that it would help by the time tomorrow comes¡­¡±

    My condolence to the caretaker. He quietly takes a break at the caretaker¡¯s corner, full of tools from brooms, shovels to buckets. That leaves the rest for Brenna to handle.

    ¡°Okay then, you kids go take a look. When you see a Warg of your fancy, ask the caretaker to open the cage for you.¡±

    We scramble when Brenna gives us our cue, but aside from Caelan whose excitement leads him to be the first to approach the cages, the rest of us still have some reservation about this whole assignment. Me? Certainly it¡¯s not that difficult to guess: Wargs look like wolves, wolves are related to dogs, therefore Wargs=Dogs, and I always approach dogs slowly with caution! Iola is still recovering from the terrible smell around, while Koros the Orc...I don¡¯t think he has any personnal problems here, but simply remains because he has questions for our instructor.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it still too soon for our first mission, Miss Lodbrok? I don¡¯t think half a month worth of training is enough for us to take on the missions only the 2nd and 3rd years are capable enough to do.¡±

    A concerned look appears on Brenna¡¯s face as she reacts to Koros¡¯s question. It does not seem like this is an issue the woman wants to address directly to her students, but it would be awkward to keep her silence like this, and so, Brenna replies.

    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought as well, but you know how the top brass is. With how dire our situation is, time isn¡¯t a luxury we can afford. We need capable soldiers right now, even if it means putting you first years into the fray.¡±

    Yet, despite the heavy conversation, Brenna still manages to put a smile on her lips.

    ¡°But I wouldn¡¯t allow you brats to be kicked out of here if I¡¯m not confident in your abilities. Like I said before, all of you showed lots of potential simply by being the first students to arrive the moment our realm was in peril. I did what I could with the time I had, you and Caelan can already work together as an element, Iola trained her body to keep us with the group while Akuma developed a protective instinct to a more vulnerable member like Iola. We can work out the rest as we go and do missions.¡±

    Her answer gives Koros a sense of ease. The green Orc nods as a silent reply and returns to pick a mount.

    ¡°Come on, work on your mount already you slackers. We don¡¯t have all day!¡±

    With a reminder from Brenna, I stop looking around and join the rest of my group in a search for suitable mounts. Iola slowly follows behind, still shielding her nose from the Wargs¡¯ territorial markings. Unexpectedly, we find Caelan¡¯s already finished with his task. He¡¯s fearlessly putting his right arm into the cage and let a Warg who fancies him lick it like a good dog, nevermind that the sheer size of the grey Warg is enough to make any normal human man back in my world tremble in fear. Caelan is certainly way too fearless for his own good.

    ¡°That was fast.¡±

    ¡°Hehe, I kinda cheated for a bit. This little fella here is the same Warg I borrowed from the Red Cloaks during the humans¡¯ attack. It¡¯s a surprise they kept him here, and I¡¯m even more surprised he still remembers me!¡±

    The young devilman pats the Warg on his head. The ferocious wolf now simply looks like a precious puppy before Caelan.

    ¡°Who¡¯s a good Butterfly? Who¡¯s a good Butterfly? You are!¡±

    ¡°Wait, you name a huge ass bloodthrusty furry and smelly Warg...Butterfly?¡±

    ¡°Butterflies are cool!¡±

    There¡¯s a shinning glitter in his eyes that resembles the purity of a child, although I really can¡¯t connect how can you look at a Warg and immidiately name it Butterfly just because butterflies are cool...But well, I won¡¯t try to dwell more inside of Caelan¡¯s thought pattern, it¡¯s simply futile to make some sense out of it.

    ¡°Still, this might be easier than I thought.¡±

    The Wargs seem chill enough, they might just be your ordinary dogs, but bigger in size. I try reaching my hand onto the iron bars for a closer look at the Warg. Yet, unexpectedly, what was an oversized dog seconds earlier turns into a ferious wolf loudly barking at my face as it tries to claw its way out of the cage for a piece of me. The sudden mood swing forces me to step back away from the cage with my heart still having a wild dance inside my chest.

    ¡°Oh, I forgot to mention this. The Wargs are trained to react negatively to the smell of humans. So, to those in our group who might have human relations, please be careful in approaching the Wargs.¡±

    Brenna comments with a nonchalant attitude, nevermind the fact her student just almost got scared to death by a Warg¡­

    ¡°You could have said that sooner!¡±

    ¡°My bad, I simply don¡¯t have a manual in hand on how to give advices for members who might be human in my group of demonkind students.¡±

    Brenna¡¯s joke aside, this sudden revelation makes me rethink about my status as a human pretending to be a demon. I find it rather strange my instructor still have yet to accuse me as being a human who somehow found himself among the ranks of demons, then I look at Iola, who¡¯s approaching a cage next to Butterfly before being scared away by the barking Wargs. This humanity issue probably isn¡¯t that strange in the Demon Realm. I guess to a Warg, a Witch or Familiar with human relation are still human in their eyes.

    ¡°You guys just don¡¯t want to make this easy, don¡¯t you?¡±

    I bark my complain at the Wargs as I reinforce my stance. Despite the setbacks, I¡¯m determined to make this assignment a success. This is simply the first trial, I won¡¯t accomplish anything if I can¡¯t even get a mount to support my ventures in the Demon Realm!

    Easier said than done, though. Everytime I approach a cage, the Wargs inside rush at my side with looks that kill. Most of the Wargs here seem to recognize me as a human, and they simply obey the training put inside their beastly instinct. This is tough, I need a proper plan to approach this problem.

    ¡°Mister Caretaker? Can you open this cage? I found a Warg that fits my liking.¡±

    Says Koros the Orc as he stands in front of a cage. True to his earlier words, the caretaker approaches and unlocks the cage with a wave of his hand before the lock. Magically, the lock opens itself like some sort of automatic identification lock, letting Koros get his big Orc body inside the cage holding three Wargs.

    Fortunately, a slaughter doesn¡¯t happen. Two Wargs walk out of the way for Koros to approach the last one. His Warg of choice is bigger than the other two common Warg, most likely the Alpha of this cage. It stands in silent, waiting for its tamer to arrive. However, Koros stops walking midway and stands still in the middle of the cage. He holds his empty left hand toward the Alpha. At that moment, the two other Wargs move, circling around as if preparing to strike should this huge, green humanoid creature causes any harm to their leader.

    ¡°Easy there, noble one. I hold no malicious intent.¡±

    Koros looks at the Warg in the eyes, not blinking even for a second. Their gaze connect, between beast and a man who looks like a beast. Suddenly, Koros moves his feet. The Warg¡¯s stance stiffens in caution, yet it neither attacks nor shows any hostility toward the Orc. Soon, their distance gets closer, the Warg¡¯s face is now within Koros¡¯s arm length, and him just about a meter between its jaws.

    ¡°Come.¡±

    Silently utters Koros. He waits for the Warg to response. The Warg hesisates for a second before letting its head touch his hand, signaling its acceptance of its new rider. Koros gently pets the Warg with care, sealing the deal between Orc and beast.

    ¡°Your name from now on will be Bardou. Let¡¯s work hard together.¡±

    When his task is done, Koros leaves the cage and let the caretaker locks it back again.

    ¡°Impressive imprint you did there. I hardly see anyone who can do it that well.¡±

    ¡°True, you certainly made it look easy.¡±

    I complement the caretaker¡¯s comment with my own. Koros simply stays humble and shakes his head.

    ¡°Orcs and Wargs already have good affinity with each other. My hometown also bred lots of Wargs for the army. I simply follow the teachings of those more experienced than me.¡±

    Without saying anything else, Koros leaves in search for Brenna who is, for some reason, not around our vicinity. Well, he has always been the silent type. I guess this is the most I can get him to talk.

    Still, watching him does give me some pointers on how to do this right. The Wargs fear those who don¡¯t fear them. By keeping his cool, Koros earned the Alpha¡¯s respect and the right to be its rider. The rest is simply applying them to pratice...if the Wargs don¡¯t try to eat me at first sight.

    ¡°Hah...what can I do?¡±

    I sigh out loud. Sensing my worries, the caretaker asks.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, young lad? Just pick any Warg you like.¡±

    ¡°I would if they just stop wanting a piece of me at first sight...Aside from these Wargs, are there any older or weaker Wargs around? The ones tame enough for a beginner rider to approach and not get eaten¡­?¡±

    The caretaker unfortunately shakes his head.

    ¡°We don¡¯t have any Warg like that. The missions Melas soldiers undertook demand a lot from these Wargs. We keep only the most capable Wargs inside this stable.¡±

    ¡°I see. That¡¯s too bad¡­¡±

    I sigh. It¡¯s unfortunate but there¡¯s nothing I can do about it. I guess extreme situations require extreme methods. What if I spray some Warg dung on my clothes as a ward? Sure, my dignity as a demon (human) being will be gone forever, but it¡¯s an inevitable sacrifice I willing to pay¡­

    ¡°That being said, we do have one troublesome Warg different than the others.¡±

    The sudden comment from the caretaker drags me back from the middle of planning my dung-filled battle plan.

    ¡°What do you mean by troublesome?¡±

    The caretaker says nothing else. He makes signs to make me follow him to the end corner of the stable and points at the last cage of the row. Inside the cage lies a single Warg, soundly sleeping and unaware of the rowdy visitors outside. Unlike the other Wargs which have grey fur, this one has black fur that oozes an aura of intimidation.

    ¡°What is this one¡¯s problem?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a wild Warg they captured in the aftermath of the human invasion. This is one ferocious Warg, I tell ya. It attacked and wounded several of our soldiers. After being captured and put inside here, it still attacked the trainers who tried to tame it. Any Wargs shared its cage ended up bloodied by it and had to be moved elsewhere. Even feeding it and keeping the cage clean are difficult to do, it always try to escape when the chance arise. Keeping it here really makes my life more miserable than it is¡­¡±

    I feel like I have heard something less than an explanation and more of a common low-wage job rant...Still, it sounds like this one is a real badass, the opposite from what I seek in a mount.

    ¡°So why is it still here?¡±

    ¡°Some big shot soldiers like its ferocity enough to ask us to keep it around in hope it gets tamed. Though even they ran out of patience. If no one manages to tame it until next week, they will put it to death.¡±

    I look at the sleeping Warg, still unaware of what the soldiers have in plan for it. Of course they can¡¯t just release a beast like this into the wild, it¡¯s too dangerous. Still, to kill such a beast does sound like a waste.

    I rest my hand the cage¡¯s iron bars as I gaze upon this majestic black Warg. Suddenly, it opens one of its eye and look at me. A red eye, as red as blood. In a brief moment, our eyes meet. The thought of sharing the same gaze with a violent beast sends chill down my spine, but despite the nasty rumors and narrations, the so called wild and untamed Warg remains silent in its nap. After feeling tired of enduring the unwanted guests, the beast closes its eye, returning to sleep.

    ¡°Yep, thanks, but no thanks.¡±

    I apologize to the caretaker before leaving away. I¡¯m sure he is confused for refusing like this after all the trouble I asked of him, but I already know I have my limits. This is no mere beast I¡¯m dealing with, this is a beast seasoned soldiers failed to tame, and if better men had tried and failed, what chances do I have? I¡¯m only seeking for a mount, not another bag of trouble.

    ¡°Back to square one then¡­¡±

    I walk back around the stable in search of a Warg whose mood at this moment is hopefully better enough to accept me, but my luck has yet to recieve a bone. Caelan and Koros are nowhere to be found, they probably reported to the Instructor and headed back to enjoy their break before actually doing the assignment. I could really use some of their help and advices¡­

    I guess back to the Dung plan with me...

    As my search continues, I come across a strange cage. Inside there lies a lone resting Warg with body full of scars, and my instructor Brenna is lying on its belly for some unknown reason. The Warg looks at me with its sole remaining right eye, cleary agitated just like the rest, but its wounds don¡¯t allow it to do anything else but resting.

    ¡°They said my survival was a miracle.¡±

    Brenna suddenly speaks. I guess her Warg¡¯s reaction is enough for her to tell it¡¯s me as the one who approached them.

    ¡°What a load of bullshit. Can you believe it?¡±

    Brenna gently strokes the scarred Warg with a touch filled of love, unlike her usual iron fist packed with pain for whoever on the recieving end.

    ¡°I would have died back then if not for Badb dragging her half-dead body to bring my tattered self here. There was no miracle or magic at work. Put your trust and love to your mount, and they will reward you with the same.¡±

    Suddenly, Brenna turns her head back to me and says.

    ¡°Have you found a suitable mount yet? Caelan and Koros are already done with theirs. If you don¡¯t, you¡¯ll have to walk on your feet for your first mission, and I can tell you it won¡¯t be a pleasant experience.¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes madam...I¡¯ll get to work right away.¡±

    I quickly excuse myself. Shit, now I have even more pressure to get this done. I frantically do another search around the stable, but the result is the same, no Wargs here accept someone full of human scent as their rider. What should I do now?

    ¡°Hey missy! You can¡¯t do that!¡±

    Yells the caretaker. Since my other two male team members already left, that means Iola is the one causing trouble here. I head to the place where the caretaker is yelling, and he does it for good reason. Inside an opened cage lies Iola casually riding on the back of a Warg. I think it wouldn¡¯t allowed her to ride it that easily if not for her ultilizing her magic tome and trapped the other Wargs with conjured vines out of nowhere. The poor thing probably doesn¡¯t want to suffer the same fate as the others and obeyed her out of fear.

    ¡°Please be at ease. I only restrained them. I will release them after I¡¯m done bonding with this cute little one.¡±

    Iola gently pats the Warg she¡¯s riding on the head. The poor thing simply reacts with fear and terror. It reluctantly takes Iola for a short stroll around the cage as a sign of obidience. Feeling satisfied, the young witch jumps off from the Warg¡¯s back. The caretaker angrily locks the cage after she gets out with a sastified smile from the result. Iola closes her personal magic tome, and the vines she conjured out of the ground disappear as the result, releasing the Wargs trapped prior.

    ¡°That¡¯s hardly bonding, that¡¯s coercion.¡±

    ¡°The only way to get things done, I¡¯m afraid. They¡¯re just too stubborn to obey normally. What you can¡¯t do with words, you do with force, I believe that¡¯s the Demon Realm way of doing things. If these beasts don¡¯t believe I¡¯m part of the demonkind just because of a few of my human blood, then I just have to prove it to them.¡±

    Iola sternly replies to my opinion. With her magic tome in hand, Iola acts like a different person than her normal meek self when we were doing training excersise. Then again, as a Witch, this might actually be how she is when there is no demonic instructor behind her back.

    ¡°I¡¯ll leave the riding exercise for tomorrow. Today¡¯s training already drained the life out of me, I¡¯m afraid, ha ha. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow then, Akuma. Best of luck to you.¡±

    The witch girl bids her goodbye before heading off. In the end, despite being angry, the caretaker doesn¡¯t scold Iola for her actions, probably because of her explanation afterward. She resorted to force because her words have no meaning to the beasts. The circumstances made her did what she had to.

    Suddenly, my mind remembers that snowy day where everything burned to hell as I faced a dragon whose words and reasons could no longer reach her ears. Even with the fear of death, I¡¯m still baffed how I didn¡¯t resort to violence and attack her that day.

    The Demon Realm way of doing things, heh?

    Screw that, I¡¯ll do things my own way.

    ¡°That just leaves you, young man. You don¡¯t have much time left, I will have to close the stable soon.¡±

    I drag my hands down my face to tear away the worries I had in my mind.

    ¡°I know. Please open the black Warg¡¯s cage for me. I have decided.¡±

    ¡°Are you absolutely sure? You refused earlier, I can sort of understand why. Yet still, why try again?¡±

    I take off my jacket which contains my handgun and throw it on the ground, leaving me with only my sweaty shirt and pants...and with no weapons in hand, no daggers, no swords, no guns, no magic tomes, nothing but my two hands and feet. If I¡¯m about to do something stupid, might as well go all the way.

    ¡°I¡¯m certainly and absolutely unsure about this, but that won¡¯t stop me from trying.¡±

    Both of us reach the cage where the black Warg lies. Reluctantly, the caretaker opens the cage for me to get inside. For understandable reason, the caretaker closes the cage after my entry and stands by the entrance unlike his relaxed attitude regarding other cages, leaving me alone with the sleeping beast.

    ¡°Well hello there, beauty¡­¡±

    My welcoming words sound like a joke, I doubt it serves as anything but to amuse me from the fear locking my feet in stone. Still, the joke works, and the black, humongous, dirty and furry sleeping beauty wakes up from the slumber to greet the daring visitor trying not to piss his pant.

    Shit...this Warg is way bigger than I thought¡­

    Our gaze meet once again. I stare straight into the beast. Unlike before, my presence inside its territory does naught but anger the Warg. I¡¯m an unwelcomed guest here, and this host already has a history of dealing guests like me with violence.

    Still, don¡¯t mind me barging in though. I have dealt with a worse house host than this one.

    ¡°Easy there. I mean you no harm!¡±

    I spread out both of my empty hands to show the beast I have no weapons on me. Learning after Koros earlier, I put my left hand toward the Warg as I continue staring into the beast¡¯s red eyes. If there is any moment that demands all of my courage, then here it is! I have to show no fear, for the first to show fear is the one who lose!

    ¡°I certainly don¡¯t speak the barking language, and I doubt you understand the demon tongue as well. But let¡¯s us speak through actions, shall we?¡±

    Right at that moment, the Warg rushes at me and rams its head at my torso, throwing me straight at the cage¡¯s iron bars.

    ¡°Argh!¡±

    ¡°Hey! Are you alright!? I already told you. It¡¯s useless trying to tame something like it!¡±

    The caretaker hopelessly yells from the outside of the cage. He certainly can open the cage and get inside to check on me, but I understand why he didn¡¯t, not that would expect him to. I already made up my mind to try and do this by myself. Still, it certainly hurts a lot. I think I have a broken rib from that ram attack earlier. This is certainly not the strength of a beast waiting for the moment to get killed like livestocks. I can understand why soldiers here want it to be their mount.

    ¡°I¡¯m okay...I¡¯m still okay...at least for now.¡±

    But unfortunely for them, I will be the one to claim it instead!

    ¡°You sure are a feisty one, aren¡¯t you? Aren¡¯t too different from that girl...haha.¡±

    I drag my body ups. The life Bjarni exchanged for mine won¡¯t stay down that easily. Our gaze exchange continues. This time, the Warg bares its fangs. Saliva continues to flow out of its mouth. Its eyes full of bloodlust. Still, it has yet to set it jaws on me as if allowing me a moment to get out. But I won¡¯t, not until I have this beast within my grasp.

    ¡°They are going to kill you soon...if you don¡¯t have any rider by next week. And I will hardly stay alive without a mount for my first mission...We¡¯re both screwed if we fail to make this work. So...ram me all you want if that¡¯s what it takes! I will make you my mount regardless!¡±

    And the angry beast complies, though by utilizing its claws instead of its head. Blood splatters across the cage as the claws leave their marks on my torso. The pain paralyzes my body, enough to keep my mouth shut, but not enough to stop me from groaning.

    ¡°Arghh¡­!¡±

    Shit, this hurts, this hurts so much. The wounds aren¡¯t too deep, but it¡¯s still painful regardless. The black Warg pins my tattered body down with its paw. It approaches me, facing my face directly. I can smell its breath and the saliva drooling on my face, just centimeters away between my face and its jaw. If it wants to devour my head, this is the perfect moment.

    But the beast doesn¡¯t do anything aside from staring.

    Blood loss makes my breath feel heavier. These wounds combined with my earlier injuries makes me unable to move my body and let me at the beast¡¯s mercy, but I can at least still able to move my hand.

    It¡¯s so close. Very close. My hand reaches to the Warg, despite the signs telling me I shouldn¡¯t. Yet, I feel like I can make it, I can touch its head and see for myself whether this proud and violent Warg may accept me as its rider.

    But it ends right there. Suddenly, I hear someone opening the cage. Before I can make out who that is, a shovel comes straight at the Warg¡¯s head, bashing it away from me. The Warg groans in pain as it falls back to the corner of the cage.

    This figure...it¡¯s not the caretaker. The one holding the cleaning shovel is Brenna Lodbrok, a very furious Brenna Lodbrok.

    ¡°I was told they planned to take care of you by next week¡­¡±

    Brenna turns her gaze to me, or rather, the wounds on my torso, with blood still flowing out from the fresh wound before returning her gaze to an equally angry Warg.

    ¡°...but I can¡¯t wait that long!¡±

    The Warg attacks Brenna, but even with a simple shovel in hand, Brenna proves to be too much for a beast to handle. Brenna beats the oncoming Warg on the head before repeatingly slamming the shovel down the Warg¡¯s body with full intention to kill. The once prideful Wargs now whimpers like a puppy, a very bloodied puppy just as pitiful as the one it attacked earlier.

    In the end, we are the same.

    ¡°Stop!¡±

    Brenna¡¯s shovel slams down my shoulder, breaking the bones beneath, just what I expected from taking a full force attack by Brenna. Though she does so unwittingly, not out of malicious intent, because I get in her way on purpose, using my body to shield the bloodied black Warg from her wrath.

    ¡°You...you idiot! What are you doing!?¡±

    Understandbly yells Brenna.

    ¡°I can¡¯t let you beat my mount to death...can¡¯t I¡­?¡±

    I smile. I don¡¯t know why, but I smile for some reason. Still, the pain quickly reduces me to my sorry state earlier, forcing Brenna to abandon her quick execution and drags me out of the cage for the infirmary. In the end, I somehow end up being wounded and beaten to half dead again. I hope this won¡¯t turn into a habit.

    And about the black Warg?

    I guess...I¡¯ll have to continue the taming...tomorrow...

 Chapter 69: The first mission

    ¡¸West Gate ¨C Day 28th Month of Dark¡¹

    As Brenna is in the middle of leading her Warg, and by extension our squad as a whole, toward the road leading to the West Gate, a sudden meeting puts our march on hold. Blocking the road are two bulky Orc men, one of them has a weapon on his hand, but he shows no animosity toward us. They are unarmored and go only by simple dirtied trousers, leaving their upper half bare and vulnerable to what I presume coal smoke mixed with sweat. Yep, that¡¯s right, these people look like the blacksmiths working in this castle¡¯s forge.

    ¡°Certainly took you people long enough.¡±

    Brenna mutters as she lets go of her Warg¡¯s rein and approaches the blacksmiths.

    ¡°We don¡¯t normally take on unreasonable requests like yours.¡±

    The blacksmith holding the weapon hands it over to Brenna. It¡¯s a polearm, though I don¡¯t know what exactly that is. It looks like a glaive, but at the same time has similarities to a halberd or poleaxe. If I remember correctly, the correct term is a Bardiche. The Bardiche on Brenna¡¯s hand is fully clad in white steel from top to the bottom, yet the woman handles such a weapon like it¡¯s simply a wooden stick. Her swordsmanship is already master level, yet the mere thought of her actual weapon mastery is not sword but polearm instead scares me to death.

    ¡°It feels lighter than what I remember.¡±

    Brenna comments.

    ¡°What did you expect from your absurd request? You just threw a pile of scrap steel at us and told us to rebuild your weapon the way you want it down to the tiniest detail. As I told you before, with the amount of money you paid us, it¡¯s better to just buy a new weapon for yourself instead of going leagues for just a normal bardiche.¡±

    A faint smile appears on the woman¡¯s lips as she replies.

    ¡°Sentimental value. It¡¯s my family¡¯s heirloom, after all.¡±

    Brenna straps the huge Bardiche to the back of her armor. The transaction seemingly comes to an end until the blacksmiths bring out two more items. One is Brenna¡¯s helmet, which shaped like a raven¡¯s beak. The hole on her helmet has vanished, repaired by the blacksmiths as per her request. The last item is a sheathed broadsword. There isn¡¯t anything noteworthy to say about it, as it is an ordinary sword you can find in any weapon shop, but what¡¯s strange about it is Brenna already has her own sword strapped by her waist, buying another one makes zero sense.

    ¡°That¡¯s everything then. Pleasure doing business with you, and let¡¯s hope you¡¯ll never have a need to come to us again.¡±

    The blacksmiths quickly bid Brenna farewell. With her new equipments in hand, Brenna returns to us, her students, as we hold tight the rein of our Wargs. On some strange whim, Brenna suddenly throws her newly acquired broadsword toward me, which I barely manage to catch. As I look at her in confusion, the woman says:

    ¡°That one is for you. It¡¯s a cheap sword, but still a lot better than the toothpick they called ¡°Dagger¡± the supply officer gave you.¡±

    I look back at the the standard issue dagger in the holster by my waist. It¡¯s the only armanent to be issued to an Alchemist for free. Of course it¡¯s understandable, since nobody expects us Alchemists to be an active combatant together with the warriors. I do have my own guns to help me hold my own, but having only a dagger as side arm does make me feel anxious.

    ¡°Thank you, Instructor. I will take good care of it.¡±

    I put the sword onto my luggage bag, as I don¡¯t have enough space on my body to equip it right now.

    ¡°D-Don¡¯t make such a big deal out of it. I just don¡¯t want the efforts I spent teaching you swordplays to go to waste!¡±

    In classic tsundere fashion, Brenna shyly turns away as she resumes leading her students.

    ¡°Teacher¡¯s pet! Teacher¡¯s pet!¡±

    Out of nowhere, Caelan enthusiastically yells like a jealous twelve years old angered from not getting the same toy as the neighbor¡¯s kid, which earns him a knock right at his forehead from Brenna for his trouble. The charade puts a smile on Iola who¡¯s trailing behind him together with her Warg. She has been pretty tense ever since we departed from the stable.

    Understandably, it¡¯s only natural to be a nervous wreck before our first mission as a squad.

    Our group soon reach the West Gate. Seeing our arrival, the guards quickly operate the mechanism behind the gate and open it for us. A cold breeze flies inside as the bridge toward the Western part of the Demon Realm slowly reveals itself behind the giant gate. Brenna takes a deep breath before taking a mount on her personnal Wrag. The rest of us quickly follow suit, leaving me as the only one who have yet to do the same.

    ¡°Easy there, easy there¡­¡±

    I put my hand on the black fur of my Warg, the same ferocious Wrag that attacked me when I tried to tame it. My wounds have healed the day after, though what I was afraid of is how to tame such a beast in the little time I had. Strangely, this black Warg had mellowed out a lot by the time of my second attempt. It¡¯s not exactly ¡°tamed¡±, more like it became more understanding of my plight, and merely ¡°allowed¡± me to be its rider. I too had my doubt on whether or not this one would make a suitable mount for me, but time isn¡¯t exactly on my side, I had to make do with that I got.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do our best to survive, Wolfy.¡±

    Yes, what other name more perfect for a wild, ferocious and rebellious black giant wolf other Wolfy?

    I succesfully climb and seat my butt on the saddle. My first few tries ended with some terrible fall, half of them thanks to Wolfy¡¯s pride and stubbornness, but I always prevail! The feeling of riding on a living being feels absolutely magical, as if I have grown wings on my back. Yet my first time feeling the wonder of riding inside the castle yard completely pales before my current feeling. The chill I feel as my hands hold the rein, the wind blowing straight at my face trying their best to push me down, the sense of riding on the back of a mighty beast awating to move at moment¡¯s notice. In this brief moment, I feel like I am a warrior, a warrior of the Demon Realm.

    ¡°Are all you ready?¡±

    Says Brenna. She¡¯s facing toward us, her students. For our first mission, Brenna will be both our teacher and leader. She¡¯s already putting on her raven helmet, but Brenna has yet to close her visor. The woman throws a look at all of us, her students, waiting for someone to get the cold feet. But all of us are ready, keeping ourselves tall on the back of our mount. Me, Caelan, Iola and Koros, none of us have any intention to go back to the comfy and warm castle behind us. With a smile on her face, Brenna pulls down her helmet¡¯s visor and turns back toward the bridge as she yells.

    ¡°Well then! Melas Expeditionary Force¡¯s 145th Squad, time to depart!¡±

    -----------------------

    In a part of a rural area far outside of Melas castle, down the snowy bank near a flowing stream, there lies an animal taking some sip of water by its lonesome. Calling it an animal is a bit far-fetched though, as this deer-like creature actually have two seperate heads connecting to its torso. Seeing it drinking simultaneously with two of his heads does freak me out for a bit.

    But no matter how freaky it is, it¡¯s the only living thing around that we can hunt and make dinner from.

    ¡°That¡¯s one delicious looking Bicorn!¡±

    And yes, by we, I mean me and Caelan. Both of us, for some reason, were charged with hunting duty for today¡¯s dinner. We are hiding away in a bush far from our prey, but with how loud Caelan has been talking, it¡¯s only a matter of time before the Bicorn catches glimpse of our presence.

    ¡°It will be dark soon. Leave this one to me, I¡¯ll make it quick.¡±

    I tell my enthusiastic comrade as I reach to my secret weapon I kept wrapped in a white cloth. The training with Brenna and the Ward riding training gave me zero time to test this baby out, but now is the perfect time to test my recently built experimental rifle. It¡¯s a rifle model I saw once in a war museum, the type soldiers used in World War II, meaning it¡¯s not too complicated to recreate using basic materials from this world as long as I have the knowledge. Of course, I don¡¯t have such knowledge, but using analytical magics I learned from the start of my journey to this world, I can make the groundwork before creating the final product.

    However, before I can even start my experiment, Caelan suddenly jumps out of the bush with his spear in hand. The Bicorn is startled from the sudden movement nearby, but Caelan grins as he pays the frightened beast no heed.

    ¡°Take this!¡±

    With the posture of a Greek athlete, Caelan throws his spear like a javelin toward the Bicorn. The spear¡¯s sheer force combined with speed pierce through both of its heads at once, killing it instantly. Caelan looks back at his impressive display of skill before commenting on his own.

    ¡°Not too shabby!¡±

    ¡°Hey! Didn¡¯t I tell you to leave this to me?¡±

    I yell at the guy. I haven¡¯t got any chance to shine lately, and when the perfect chance arise, the dude just straight up stole it from me.

    ¡°Everytime you try to do something, things always get noisy, Akuma. Brenna would hate it if you attract some human soldiers after our asses, ahahaha!¡±

    For such a loud guy, he sure has a point...The noise from my gun would attract more than animals, beasts or worse, human soldiers. I can¡¯t believe I let my own enthusiasm blind me from the fact.

    ¡°Geez...let¡¯s get this over with. I¡¯m hungry.¡±

    ¡°So am I!¡±

    We come get what we came for. Caelan takes back his spear from the Bicorn¡¯s heads and ties its legs onto his spear, turning it into a pole to help us carry it back to the camp. With Caelan at the head and me as the bottom, I truly feel like we are a pair of tribesmen from some ancient past.

    The sun is already setting, but luckily for us we manage to arrive safely at the camp before night falls. Brenna chose a pretty clean and empty ground in the middle of this dead forest as our campsite, completely different from the snowfilled landscape from the start of our journey since departing Melas Castle. The fire is already lit, with a pile of woods nearby thanks to the hard work of Koros. The cooking tools are next to the fire, Brenna¡¯s personal cooking tools to be precise.

    Yes, Brenna said she would be the one making dinner today, as celebration for ¡°Making it to the first night without anyone dying.¡± - quoting exactly word to word. Forget the grim reminder of our fragile mortality aside, I¡¯m not sure what to think about Brenna¡¯s cooking. No one among us actually know anything about her feminine talents. We might have yet to die by the blades of the human soldiers, but only the Gods know if we can make it through the bowls filled with Brenna¡¯s food.

    ¡°We have successfully returned!¡±

    Caelan cheerfully announces our arrival.

    ¡°Took you chumps long enough. Get it here quickly!¡±

    Following Brenna¡¯s order, we take out the Bicorn and hand it over to our instructor-turned-chef. When our job is done, Brenna tell us to take a break as the woman starts preparing the meat by herself. Without any outside input, Iola suddenly approaches Brenna and observe the woman¡¯s work, either waiting to help Brenna, or simply for curiosity¡¯s sake.

    Using the dagger on her waist, Brenna rips open the Bicorn stomach after preparing a bowl. Blood and entrails flow out of the Bicorn¡¯s body like a stream, and the fresh stench of blood starts to make me feel sick. Strangely, Iola isn¡¯t too affected by this, she¡¯s completely normal in front of the sight of blood and gore which is horrible enough to make me turn away.

    ¡°Tch...can¡¯t believe I¡¯m acting like a rich pampered boy right now of all time¡­¡±

    I silently mutter to myself. Before I can completely turn away however, Brenna does something weird enough to attract my attention.

    ¡°Hey Badb! Catch!¡±

    Without even looking back, Brenna throws a chunk of bloody meat behind her back. Before the meat can touch the ground and end up dirtied, a huge Warg sweeps by and chomps on the meat in one fell swoop. Brenna¡¯s Warg happily licks clean its mouth and wags its tail after a tasty and fresh meal before returning to rest together with our Wargs nearby.

    ¡°Take these to the others to feed their Wargs. The rest is enough to get us by for tonight.¡±

    Brenna hands over the fresh bowl full of raw meat, guts and entrails to Iola. Leaving the woman behind to prepare the food, Iola passes on her words to me, Caelan and Koros - who is silently watching over the Wargs by himself. My teammates have no problem picking on the meat raw to feed their Wargs. Even when I can put aside the fact that my hand is bloodied from holding a freshly gutted piece of meat, the problem still lies at my prideful and stubborn Warg, Wofly.

    ¡°H-Hey! Would you be so kind to go to my place and gently take your dinner away from me, Wolfy? Preferably not along with my left hand?¡±

    The resting Wolfy throws me a glimpse before resuming to its sleep. It doesn¡¯t even bother to express disappointment toward its master¡­This is why canines are such a hassle to deal with...

    Feeling hopeless, I casually approach Wolfy and put the meat just centimeters outside of its mouth. When the scent of fresh meat reaches closly to its nose, Wolfy chomps away the meat from my left hand, and thankfully, not together with my left hand. Unlike the nearby Wargs who quickly chow down on their meal, Wolfy really knows how to take it time to slowly enjoy a feast, almost like a furry gourmet. And of course, the Warg pays no attention to me as it is feasting.

    ¡°We really need a lot of bonding time after this mission is over¡­¡±

    ¡­

    By the time the moon reveals itself on the black sky above, Brenna¡¯s steaming pot of stew is also almost ready. Brenna stirs the boiling pot with a laddle as she hums some kind of folk song. All members of our squad quietly sit around the bonfire, waiting for dinner to be served. When she¡¯s done, Brenna pours the stew into bowls and hands them to her students.

    ¡°And it¡¯s done! Brenna¡¯s super secret meat stew passed down through my mother¡¯s line! It¡¯s my pride and joy! Consider yourself lucky to get a taste of it!¡±

    The woman proudly declares after her successful work. How successful this food is, however, is still up to debate. The stew looks...normal, a bit brownish, almost like a soup. I can smell some herbs from the aroma. It seems normal enough. My squadmates quickly put aside their hesitation and obey the desire of their rumbling stomach, and I am no exception. This can¡¯t be worse than what they served at the cafeteria.

    ¡°Hmm! This stuff is good!¡±

    A sense of delight fills my tongue after I put a spoon of hot stew inside my mouth. It¡¯s really good, in a non-ironic way. Not just edible, but also pleasant for the tongue. The spice Brenna used mixed really well with this strange kind of meat. It tastes like chicken despite being made from a mammal-type beast, but it¡¯s the right kind of wrong, enough for me to put aside the contrast as I fill my stomach with the rest of the bowl.

    ¡°A second serving, please!¡±

    Caelan is the first to ask for another bowl.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Me too! Your cooking is really good, Instructor!¡±

    Even the normally tame Iola is as enthusiastic as Caelan, as if she¡¯s afraid Caelan will eat up the rest of the pot before any of us can get a second bowl...which is an actual possibility not too far away from the truth, and thus I join in with her to ask for a second serving, with Koros silently follows suit.

    ¡°Slow down slow down! At least try to savour the taste! After tonight, it¡¯s back to field ration to all of you!¡±

    The rest of our dinner is filled with laughters, mostly from Caelan who keeps telling random jokes he learned from his classmates. We look less like a group of soldiers on duty, and more like a teacher and a bunch of kids camping on some kind of far away field trip. In the end, Brenna herself is the one who ate the least out of all of us, but I have the feeling the sastifaction of her smile is enough to fill the rest for her to last the night.

    ¡°Still, I didn¡¯t think you can actually cook, Instructor. Truly we can¡¯t judge a book by its cover.¡±

    ¡°Somehow I feel a bit insulted by your ¡°compliment¡±, Miss Moreau...But since I¡¯m in a good mood, I¡¯ll let it slide for now.¡±

    Iola meekly returns to her seat after being freaked out by Brenna¡¯s reply. The girl has just finished with the dish cleaning thanks to her useful Water magic. Now that dinner is done, all that¡¯s left is the briefing for our first mission.

    Yes, we headed out into the battle zone without a single clue of what our mission is. From an objective look, that sounds pretty crazy. The four of us only did so because we trust Brenna would not lead us straight away into an empty and meaningless death the moment we ride through the castle gate. And now, all of us are waiting to see whether that trust will pay off.

    ¡°Before we start, please give me a short moment.¡±

    Suddenly, the silent Koros announces something unexpected. Then, he extends his big hand toward Caelan sitting in his opposite.

    ¡°Caelan, pay up.¡±

    All of our attention turn to Caelan as his pale face starts sweating in the middle of a Winter night. The guy is reduced to a nervous wreck as he tries not to make eye contact with anyone. Eventually, the constant stares make him give in, and he takes out a gold coin and toss it toward a very appreciated Koros.

    ¡°Care to explain what¡¯s this all about?¡±

    Understandbly, Brenna asks what¡¯s been on our mind.

    ¡°We made a simple bet before dinner. The content of the bet was our take on how would the Instructor¡¯s food turn out.¡±

    ¡°Hoh? Interesting.¡±

    ¡°By the way, Caelan betted your food would suck.¡±

    A sense of blood lust fills the air as Brenna stares at Caelan with the aura of a hungry wild beast. Like an automatic response, Brenna lunges toward a horrified Caelan and pulls wrestling moves on the poor guy. Moments like this make me truly believe Brenna is actually Bjarni ¡°Beat students¡¯ head with brick¡± Lodbrok¡¯s daughter, As Caelan yells in vain for help, Iola quietly approaches the smirking Orc and slips a gold coin to his palm.

    ¡°You too?¡±

    Iola does not reply to me and simply makes a silent gesture. Of course, nobody wants to be subjected to the same punishment Brenna is dishing out on Caelan. His life is already forfeited. All we can do is to give him a silent prayer.

    Still, that sounds like a really fun bet, and it came from a silent person like Koros of all people. That is certainly unexpected. However, there¡¯s still something that keeps lingering in my mind.

    Why am I not included in this?

    ¡­

    ¡°Is he okay¡­?¡±

    I ask Brenna after Caelan¡¯s punishment is done.

    ¡°I went easy on him. He¡¯ll live.¡±

    I¡¯m doubting that, though. The young man is already out cold, and people can easily misunderstand the blanket on his body as a pretty grim sign.

    ¡°Well, we wasted enough time already. Let us start the mission briefing.¡±

    ¡°Is it okay to leave Caelan out of this?¡±

    I reply to Brenna¡¯s declaration.

    ¡°I¡¯ll explain it to Caelan tomorrow...in terms he can understand.¡±

    Iola interjects in with her proposal, with me silently nod as it¡¯s the best course of action we can do to help Caelan. Soon, it will begin, the long awaited mission briefing in the middle of nowhere.

    ¡°Normally we do the briefing back at the castle, right?¡±

    ¡°Normally, yes. But then you first timers would have a chance to get cold feet and run away.¡±

    Brenna bluntly replies to my question as she takes something out of her luggage and lays it bare for all of us minus Caelan to see. It¡¯s a map of a whole Western side of the Demon Realm. To be more precise, the Western part beyond Melas castle - the battlefield currently in struggle between the Demon army and the Alliance¡¯s invasion force. There¡¯s a bright, burning dot on the map. It¡¯s located at the southwestern part of Melas castle.

    ¡°This is where we currently are.¡±

    Brenna points to the bright dot on the map. So that¡¯s a tracker of the map¡¯s current location, like a GPS, but magical.

    ¡°Thanks to the presence of our port in the south, the bulk of the fighting lies focused in the central and northern part within the West region of Melas castle. We should be safe at this location, though it doesn¡¯t mean we should not be vigilant.¡±

    The southern part ends at the sea, with east of it lies the rest of the Demon Realm¡¯s territories. The existence of a port and the possiblity of reinforcement by ships are enough to put the Alliance¡¯s conquest from heading South on hold. Though from the information I collected, even they don¡¯t have enough resources to invade the Southern region of Melas castle. The breakthrough of the war is just as much as a surprise to them as it is to the Demon Realm¡¯s army, creating a deadlock where both sides try to gain as much advantage as they can with whatever resources they have before the inevitable final showdown.

    And that¡¯s where us, the members of Melas Expeditionary Force come in.

    ¡°After careful consideration, it has been decided that the 145th Squad¡¯s first mission will be sabotage. According to Intelligence, three days from now a series of supply convoys will arrive by ships from the Kingdom of Metallum. They will split out and use different routes to reach the Alliance¡¯s home base at the Asphodel Meadows. Our job is simple: intercept, eliminate one of the supply convoy and safely escape. The other convoys will be handled by other squads from the Expeditionary Force.¡±

    Sounds nice and simple, we just need to burn the supplies and retreat before making further bloodshed. While I have prepared myself mentally to fight against my fellow humans, it would be better not to make my hands more bloodied than needed. That being said, the problem is¡­

    ¡°We¡¯ll have to go deep inside the enemy¡¯s territories?¡±

    ¡°Of course, how else can we complete the mission?¡±

    Brenna makes it sound easy.

    ¡°What? You¡¯re getting cold feet already?¡±

    ¡°I would be lying if I say I don¡¯t¡­¡±

    I nervously reply to Brenna. The risk is too high, if we get caught, we¡¯ll be swarmed by the enemies until our hope gets crushed. There will be no allies to come and save us when we are that far away from the home base.

    ¡°We have to do what is expected of us, regardless of the danger.¡±

    The Orc Koros mutters.

    ¡°Exactly! This is what you kids signed up for when you became a Melas student. You are here to do jobs the main army can¡¯t do. You are trained to operate and perform missions without having to deal with the chain of command and the requirement of a supply source. That being said, I would never choose a mission beyond your abilities, and I wouldn¡¯t shut my mouth if the headquarter forces those kind of missions upon you kids! Everything will be fine as long as all of you do your best with what you¡¯ve learned, put your trust in your squadmate and fulfill your role as a member of the 145th Squad.¡±

    Brenna¡¯s reassurance puts my mind at peace, yet I can¡¯t make the worries inside my heart disappear. Perhaps this is only a sign of my inexperience and lack of faith in my comrades. All of them are stronger than me, and we will surive and fulfill our task as long as we cooperate and combine our strength together.

    ¡°So what is the mission detail, Instructor?¡±

    Following Iola¡¯s cue, Brenna points toward a point on the far West on the map.

    ¡°Our next destination will be the Forgotten Valley. The intel said after departing from their base near the Floating Sea, our target will approach the Asphodel Meadows through a route in Forgotten Valley. The estimated time from their arrival to passing through the mission area is one day. We have about three days in our time reserve. The travel will take two days if we move fast and don¡¯t get into trouble, that will leave us one day to survey the terrain, form up a battle plan and make preparations. On the fourth day, the second day of the new month of Sun, we¡¯ll commence the mission.¡±

    Forgotten Valley...that names sounds dangerous, like some kind of dangerous dungeon for high level adventurers. Well, this is still demons¡¯ lands, having a dangerous place or two is to be expected.

    ¡°Is this Forgotten Valley have anything special about it? That name sounds ominous.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid to dissapoint you, Akuma, but that place is hardly a special place. It has no natural resources, and its difficult terrain makes it hard to build a settlement or even travel through. It¡¯s called Forgotten Valley because no one want anything to do with it, and it¡¯s already been abandoned even before the Alliance¡¯s occupation of our Western territories.¡±

    What a bummer...but then, I understand why they would use such a route from Brenna¡¯s explanation. They will split the convoys to many different routes, the more obvious ones will certainly become a target from our attacks. In any case, they still need some convoys to make it and resupply the Alliance¡¯s forces. But we will put an end to that, we¡¯ll starve them enough to make them consider abandoning their occupation of the demons¡¯ lands and go home...hopefully.

    The briefing quickly ends when no one ask the instructor any question. What we have to do is simple enough, if we don¡¯t mind the ¡°go deep inside enemy territory by ourselves¡± part. Brenna¡¯s confidence probably rubbed off on us enough for no one to complain about this mission. And thus, we end the night, though not without some hassle.

    ¡°Koros, Akuma. Both of you take the first watch. Wake me and Caelan up in two hours.¡±

    Just as ordered, the two of us sit by the edge of our camp while the rest of our squad are soundly sleeping near the bonfire. We weren¡¯t issued any proper sleeping gear as part of standard equipment for students. And thus, our teammates use their standard issue white cloak as blankets and their luggage bag as pillows instead. These cloaks have a seal inside them to regulate the temperature to a standard degree, making it easier for the wearer to travel through any common weather. I think Brenna¡¯s armor does have the same enhancement, if not, she wouldn¡¯t be so brazen enough to sleep like a log without any blanket in a Winter night.

    As for me, though being far away from a warm bonfire does allow some freezing night air to hit my face, the rest of my body is covered by my cloak which is warm enough to make it bearable. Our cloak is white in color despite Melas¡¯s flag color is black, though I guess it¡¯s more because of practical reason, since wearing black gear on convert mission in Winter is just asking to get an arrow shot in the ass. My standard issue alchemist cloak is a bit more different than the other, as it has slots to stack potions inside and has some shock resistant ability, though unlike Kardia¡¯s gift it¡¯s not strong enough to use as a shield against blunt force. That means I have no free get out of jail card this time¡­

    And of all places, it has to be right deep inside enemy territory...Why can¡¯t our first mission be much simpler? Like gathering twenty herbs or defeat ten wolves and collect their paws?

    I sigh to let out my worries. Indifferent to my whining, my watchmate is sitting silently not far nearby. He¡¯s writing something down on his notebook. Despite the late night, the moon high on the black sky gives him enough light to continue whatever he¡¯s working on. Occasionally, Koros gives a watch around before returning to his work. I guess I should leave him be and do some work on my own. It¡¯ll be a waste to sit around doing nothing in a long night watch.

    I take out a portable synthesis cauldron from the equipment belt on my body. Despite being called a cauldron, this thing is only bigger than a rubic cube, and shares the shame cube shape as well. I take out the folded legs from the cube and place it on the ground. I draw a circle beneath them, pour some water from my field canteen into the cauldron, and mix the water with a bit of liquidfied soul energy from one of my material tubes.

    ¡°That should do it.¡±

    Thanks to the seal beneath, the mixed liquid is starting to boil. This is only the preparation step, however, the liquid is only used as the medium to perform synthesization. The real materials I¡¯m about to use are the herbs I put in my pockets, which I picked off during my hunt for meat with Caelan during the evening. There weren¡¯t many of them, and I also didn¡¯t have the time to search for more, but this should be enough to make a few painkillers for reserve.

    Yes, I need more medical supplies more than ever. I did take along with me a plenty enough stock for emergency situations, but I certainly didn¡¯t expect our mission would bring us deep behind enemy lines. Even a little more will help. I may not be able to fight as well as my comrades, but if they are wounded on the field, it¡¯s my job to help them make it back home. This is why I¡¯m here, this is why I endured all those trainings and studies.

    When the medium reaches the perfect temperature, I put the materials inside and start synthesizing. There¡¯s another seal on the ground nearby in which I placed an empty tube into it earlier. After the process is done, the medical liquid is transfered directly into the tube. I repeat this process until I run out of materials, and by that time, the medium liquid is also vanished from being used up.

    ¡°I guess that¡¯s it for today.¡±

    I yawn after cleaning up my mess. This work goes better than expected, though that should be normal for me by now, after being forced to make medicines with this method during my time at Melas castle. I¡¯m confident enough I can do this with my eyes closed...probably.

    ¡°Hmm?¡±

    I glance at my watchmate Koros, who¡¯s still not done with his writings. After all the noises I made from my potion work, yet the Orc still remains silent. This is both strange...and annoying. I get that he is the silent type, but if he keeps this up, people may think he is actually mute.

    ¡°Eh...lovely night, right? Koros?¡±

    Of course, talking about the weather is the oldest method in the book to start a conversation.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Koros replies with a bored tone, not even trying to put in any effort.

    ¡°W-What are you doing there? Writing poetry?¡±

    ¡°Personal work.¡±

    I bet it translates to: Not your business. Of course I have no business to pry into his business, but him being so quiet makes me feel uneasy, especially now that we are members of the same squad.

    I stand up, stretch my arms and pretend I¡¯m simply doing some physical excersise to escape from the sleepiness. But that¡¯s just a front, I¡¯m using it to slowly walk my way around his back to peak at whatever he¡¯s working on. And the moonlight helps me shed light on Koros¡¯s work on his notebook.

    It is neither poetry or novel, it¡¯s a drawing. A landscape drawing. I see a forest of dead trees, and a roadway filled with snow. The drawing is so lively it¡¯s hard to believe he drawn it with only a pencil. I recognize the place in the drawing.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this the road we traveled through this morning? Right outside of Melas castle?¡±

    I remember it pretty well, considering it¡¯s the path Nilrem led me through to reach Deborah during her rampage. Koros does not answer, but he¡¯s not annoyed by me enough to stop his hand from continuing to draw. Considering he¡¯s drawing a scenic art purely from memory, the man is a very impressive artist despite his hulking frame gives no hints about his drawing ability.

    ¡°Your work is really good. Though isn¡¯t it a bit lonely with just the landscape alone? If there are some people in it, everyone in our squad for example, it might become more lively.¡±

    Koros¡¯s pencil suddenly stops as I¡¯m done commenting on his work. I can hear a faint sigh before Koros closes his notebook and puts it away. Is he angry with me? Did I say something offensive?

    ¡°...I don¡¯t like drawing people. Scenery are easy, they are what they are. People are more complicated. It¡¯s impossible to draw someone as they truly are.¡±

    I don¡¯t really understand. Is that his artistic philosophy? Before I have a chance to ask, the green Orc suddenly turns to me and says something unexpected.

    ¡°Akuma, you are a human, right? Not the mixed kind like Iola, or a lookalike vessel like Caelan¡¯s race. You are a pure blood human.¡±

    I don¡¯t know how to react. I¡¯m too shocked to react. The fact that everyone took me as a familiar for granted went so smoothly it makes me unprepared to face someone who¡¯s not buying my bullshit. A drop of sweat flows down my cheek despite the chilling temperature.

    ¡°Ehh...it¡¯s technically not true. I may look human and have human characteristic, but I¡¯m actually a familiar summoned to this world!¡±

    ¡°I know a human when I see one, which world you came from is irrelevant.¡±

    I guess there¡¯s no use to try and convince him.

    ¡°If I¡¯m actually a human then what are you going to do about it? Hand me over to the authorities?¡±

    I don''t think that''s the case. If he already knew I¡¯m a human then he wouldn''t wait until our first mission to turn me in. I¡¯m still trying to figure out what is this artistic Orc trying to achieve.

    Koros suddenly turns his gaze away from me and looks at the sleeping Brenna.

    ¡°Miss Brenna is a good instructor, but not necessarily a good teacher. Once someone earned her trust, she forgets how to doubt that person again. In the end, she¡¯s really Bjarni¡¯s daughter.¡±

    A faint smile appears on Koros¡¯s lips. His tusks still make any mouth expression he does look scary, but his gentle blue eyes say the opposite. I feel no hostility from him, but there exists a layer of doubt in the way he¡¯s talking to me.

    ¡°The first time we met, you told me you don''t hold it against me for Bjarni¡¯s death. Is that...a lie?¡±

    ¡°No...unlike humans, most Orcs don''t practice lies and trickery. If we want someone dead, there wouldn''t be any need to hide and wait.¡±

    I find myself instinctively make a step back. His honesty really makes him hard to deal with.

    ¡°But perhaps, if no one told me the circumstance around my teacher¡¯s death, I might have struck you down the moment you showed yourself in the training ground. Still, the fact remains that Bjarni died so that you can live, and as a student, I respect my former teacher¡¯s decision.¡±

    ¡°And¡­?¡±

    ¡°...the fact he died for a human still remains. I might tolerate your presence as a comrade, but I choose who to trust from my own judgement. As Brenna said earlier, this mission can only succeed when our squad fulfill our role and put our trust in one another. But to be honest I can''t completely trust a human, even if you have joined our ranks. There''s no guarantee you won''t sell us out to the enemy when your life is threatened. A mission in human land is the perfect opportunity for a human to stab us in the back.¡±

    I stay silent, knowing everything he said have a valid reason. Even if I have decided to fight among the demons for the sake of protecting the people I care about, the possibility that I may betray them still exist, even not by choice. After all, in a moment of weakness, I almost sold out the demons to the invasion force during the siege. There''s no guarantee I may not do the same if I¡¯m captured by the humans in their territory.

    ¡°There''s nothing I can say to make you trust me, right?¡±

    ¡°Understanding that is a start. Actions always speak louder than honeyed words.¡±

    And of course, I always speak louder than anything I do, that''s an undeniable fact...Perhaps there¡¯s nothing else I can say to him, and Koros himself isn''t full of words for someone who has yet to earn his trust. In the end, it''s still up to me to prove myself, not just to my teammates, but to the Demon Realm that I am one among them.

    I return to my previous position. The doubts and hopes in my thoughts are enough to keep me awake until our watch ends, and I quickly get some sleep before the second day of our first mission starts.