Chapter 13: Schoolyard Rumble

Jonah

(4 Days after arrival in Asgard)

…Why exactly am I nervous about going to school again?

Oh wait, that's right, it's because it's a new culture, new people, new circumstances, new criteria, new uniform…

Weirdly enough it's the clothes that annoy me the most. Seriously, full-body robes that wouldn't seem out of place on some old-timey court mage? Mights as well put a crown on and start calling myself Emperor…

"Well don't you cut quite the dashing figure?"

I turn around and notice Sylvi watching me as I anxiously examine myself in the mirror, an amused smile on her face as I do so.

"Dashing huh? Well it's a good thing I outwardly display naught but confidence because inside I'm a seething mass of undifferentiated panic."

She chuckles at that and walks into the room to help adjust my collar, casting a critical eye over the rest of my uniform as I she does so. The female version of the uniform is actually pretty similar to the male one, old fashioned Mage robes and everything, but instead of a flared upper half for the guys (no doubt because the designer thought it would look cool rather than out of any sense of practicality) the girls one is more blouse-like in design, although both uniforms are done in shades of blue and grey.

"Well just remember that no matter how stressed you are, Rose is probably twice as bad off as you are. I swear by Odin's beard my Sis would have such an easier time making any friends if she would just relax…"

Grateful for the distraction both because I don't want to dwell on my nerves and because Sylvi is rather fun to talk to I ask, "Rossweisse doesn't have any friends? I find that hard to believe…"

She gives a wry grin and replies with, "That's most people's first impression. Then they see her try to interact with people and, well…I think the Human's have it right when they say, 'crash and burn'."

"Ouch. Hardly a glowing review."

She lightly chuckles and finishes adjusting my clothing.

"Well I'd prefer to hand out the harsh truth rather than pretty it up. Personally I think it lessens the blow."

I think back to my family's current circumstances and can only nod in agreement.

I definitely wouldn't have wanted to be strung along this entire time, unaware of just how serious things actually are…

I lightly shake my head and dispel my more morbid thoughts before squaring my shoulders and, mostly for my own benefit, say, "All right, let's do this…and thanks for the pep talk Sylvi."

She just waves away my thanks and airily replies, "Ah don't worry about it, I've been doing this to Big Sis for years. And you're way more of a receptive audience than she is."

I smile as we walk into the common room and doubtfully reply, "I still don't think it's quite as bad as you're making it out to-"

My words die in my mouth as I see a slightly green in the face Rossweisse carrying out a painfully stilted conversation with Hertha, her hands gripping each other so tightly they've long since turned frighteningly pale.

I notice Sylvi give me a look as if to say, 'see what I mean?'.

Yah…I think I do.

"O-oh, J-Jonah! I-it's good to s-see you! A-are you n-nervous about attending c-class today?"

I try not to smile at Rossweisse's wide eyes and unblinking expression, instead deciding to just nod my head and easily reply with, "I am, although it's mostly thank to Sylvi putting many of my fears to rest. How, umm…how about you?"

"I-I'm perfectly fine o-of course! N-no worries about m-making friends for the first time-I mean, uh…"

She trails off with a whimper, causing Sylvi to sigh and take her Sister's arm before leading her out of the room.

"Ok Sis, let's go over things one more time…"

…And Riser thought I was bad at being social…

"Welcome to Mímir Academy Jonah! Home to the greatest and most awesomest aspiring warriors and Valkyries in all of Asgard! So try not to step on any toes too badly, otherwise these guys could make big trouble for you down the road…"

I give Sylvi a wry look and dryly respond with, "And just what makes you so certain that annoying people is what I'm here to do?"

She gives me a winning smile and loudly says, "And I quote…'Give me a few months, maybe a year in Asgard, talking to other people at the academy, understanding Norse culture and making new 'friends'…Grandma Gondul was quite impressed with your little declaration there!"

My ears are practically burning and I mumble out, "So maybe I was a little dramatic, what's the big deal?"

She just chuckles and sly replies, "Nothing really…just dropping you a bit of friendly advice to not and try to take over the School on your first day here is all."

I give a non-committal grunt and instead look at the building itself, a pretty large 2-floor construct of wood and stone that seems to stretch on for kilometers end to end. It's nowhere near the size of Antiquity Academy back in the Underworld, but it has a sort of understated elegance to it that's way more palatable than Antiquity's in your face gaudiness.

I glance over to my side, curious how the 2 sisters are doing…and find Sylvi cheerfully looking around, likely searching for some friends, while Rossweisse looks like she may as well be walking to the executioners platform.

"Hey Rossweisse?"

She practically jumps halfway to the sky and stammers out, "Y-yes? W-what is i-it?"

"…Never mind, just…try to take it a little easy? At this rate you're gonna pass out before you even make it through the door."

She loudly swallows and shakily smooths down her robes before pumping her fists and muttering to herself, "Right…you can do this…just because you've screwed up so far…ok, I'm ok, I'm ok…"

Sylvi just shares a long suffering look with me before apparently spotting one of her friends since she suddenly waves and says, "Gotta go! Take care you 2! And try not to do anything too stupid Jonah!"

I offer a half-hearted smile in response.

"No promises."

With a roll of her eyes Sylvi runs off, her albino hair swaying in the wake of her passage.

…I'm not staring.

Heaving a sigh I turn to Rossweisse and wryly remark, "I guess that just leaves us 2 social outcasts, hmm?"

She offers a watery smile and simply nods in response before seemingly gathering what she has of her courage.

"Well Jonah, I believe this is where we part ways…I, uh…wish you the best of luck…and thank you for helping me relax somewhat."

I give my best winning smile and confidently say, "No problem. See you after classes."

With a shaky grin of her own Rossweisse walks off to the East side of the Academy where the older students reside and I take a deep breath before heading off in my own set direction, the 'mid-tier' student classrooms.

Time to get acquainted with the locals…

"Everyone settle down! We have a transfer student today, and an unconventional one at that. I expect you all to make a good first impression, and that means not being a bunch of idiots! I'm looking at you 2 specifically. Don't roll your eyes at me Staran, Bylar. You 2 are nothing but trouble."

I mentally ponder whether they remember that Devils can automatically translate auditory languages so aren't bothering to change their speech, or if they're speaking in a variety of North Germanic languages just to keep their conversation 'secret'.

I'm not gonna hazard a guess as to which...

The instructor, a middle-aged African American man named Jeremy (fish out of water much since he's in Asgard of all places?) politely motions to me and says, "Care to introduce yourself?"

This was spoken in English, so I guess the previous conversation with his students was for their own benefit, not mine…

I mentally compose myself and step forward, trying not to shirk at the sheer curiosity many of my soon-to-be classmates are staring at me with.

"Hello everyone, my name is Jonah. Much like instructor Jeremy stated, I'm a transfer student. What he didn't mention is what I imagine some of you may find…different. Namely that I'm a Devil."

Deciding to borrow some of Caine's flair for the dramatic I shoot out my wings as soon as I finish my sentence, mentally bracing myself for the fallout. None of the various theological factions are on what I'd call 'good' terms with each other, but Devils are definitely treated with more wariness than most.

Our cultural habit of taking away some of each civilizations best and brightest to recruit into our peerages hasn't exactly endeared us to the majority of people out there.

Keeping my status as a Devil secret is going to be a near impossibility, so I decided to just go ahead and hit the lake of burning shit face-first, and hope for the best.

To my surprise, the majority of the people in class…just don't seem to care that much.

Oh, there are some that have unadulterated looks of disgust, to be certain, and a decent number appear to be using every ounce of self-control they have not to run up and bombard me with questions…but the vast majority seem to take this in stride, probably thinking something along the lines of, 'Oh, he's a Devil? That's cool, maybe I'll ask him about it later'.

I'll take it, especially since I was half-expecting a Witch Hunt.

"Alright then Jonah, you can take the seat over there, in between Staran and Bylar."

I raise an eyebrow, recognizing those names as the ones Jeremy was badmouthing earlier, but decide to reserve judgement until actually meeting them.

After all, I'm the son of the Underworld's largest criminal Empire. If that was everyone's first impression of me I'd have never made any friends…

I sit down between the 2 of them and take a moment to size them up.

Staran is built like an athlete, taller than me by a good 6 centimeters and slim without sacrificing muscle for it. Black hair that's cut short and sticks up straight while his rugged face gives me a look that straddles the line between curious and friendly.

Bylar is the opposite, short and stocky with curly brown hair that falls down past his neck, his gaze more openly amused by my mixed reception than it is inquisitive.

"Pleased to meet you Mr. Devil, or would you prefer Jonah?"

I grin and take Bylar's offered hand, responding with, "Jonah is fine, although if you want to call me Master I'm open to that as well."

I notice some of the other students flinch at that, no doubt worried that I'm trying to add one of my classmates to my peerage already.

Bylar just snickers at my words and turns to Staran with triumph written all over his face.

"You owe me 10 bullions Star."

The other boy just huffs an irritated sigh before dryly replying, "Fine, fine. I can't believe you were right…"

I daintily raise an eyebrow as I take my seat and innocently ask, "Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but was I just the source of a bet?"

"Yup!", Bylar cheerfully responds, "I bet Star over there that all those rumors about Devils being manipulative, arrogant Bastards was a load of wolf crap. Lo and behold, I was right!"

"You seem rather certain of that considering you've spoken to me for a grand total of 30 seconds."

He just grins in reply.

"Would a stuck-up asshat be so cordial to the class clowns if he wasn't friendly? While ol' Jeremy over there might have forgotten that you guys get free translation, I didn't."

I chuckle at that and amusedly say, "The class clowns huh? Well I've always wanted to go to the Circus…"

Starlan just snorts and adds, "Don't let Bylar over there fool you into thinking that I'm just as much of a goof as he is. To borrow one of his more annoying jokes, I'm the 'Star' of this duo. Although I think we could afford to expand into a trio, if you're interested."

…Not the most conventional way of being offered friendship, but what the Hell?

I like these guys already.

"If you 3 are quite done flirting, class is about to start."

The class chuckles at this and Instructor Jeremy slips me a wink and I offer a slight nod of thanks for his little attempt at further breaking the ice.

Nothing like a gay joke to help ease the tension, am I right?

"That'll be all for today, class dismissed until next time!"

I stretch and feel my spine pop rather loudly against the backrest of the chair, wincing as I do so.

Class was…interesting, I guess? Most of the stuff related to Magic and culture I covered quickly with Rossweisse and Sylvi during the past 3 days, so it was mostly a refresher course.

"So, 'Master', how was your first day amongst us mere mortals?"

I snort at Bylar's words and reply, "Feh, I could have learnt this kind of puny Magic in my sleep. And such a barbaric civilization you all are…"

Starlan looks at me through narrowed eyes, mostly from mirth, and says, "That's rather rich for a Devil of all beings to call us barbaric. Why, I've heard rumors that Devils eat their kittens and puppies raw."

"Not raw, although we do have to kill our own food."

Bylar snorts at that…before he suddenly tenses and quietly intones, "Heads up Star, you're never gonna guess who's headed over this way…"

I don't like the obvious concern in his voice, and Starlan's newfound dour expression certainly doesn't put me at ease.

"Oh just wonderful, couldn't he have waited at least another hour before starting this shit?"

"Uh, guys? What's going on ex-"

"So you're the lying freak everyone's all excited about, aren't you?"

…So much for a peaceful first day.

Slowly turning around in my chair I come face-to-face with what I imagine most people would describe as the archetypal bully. Large, slightly rotund, beady little eyes and features, unkempt hair and one heck of a nasty attitude.

There's one important difference though. Bullies tend to look at their victims with arrogance, or at least some kind of twisted amusement since for them it's recreational, a detached form of recreation.

This guy is staring at me with pure hatred.

Which is alot worse than the alternative, since it means things probably aren't gonna stop at some public humiliation.

"For the love of-can't you go sniff someone else's asshole Kleng? We're kinda busy actually being nice people over here."

Not even glancing in Bylar's direction the newly introduced Kleng succinctly replies, "Stay the fuck out of this Bylar. Not unless you want to be first."

To my growing apprehension Bylar looks pissed at his words…but doesn't refute them.

Swell. Kleng isn't all talk then.

Just awesome…

"Kleng, was it? My name-"

I don't get to finish as the guy suddenly grabs me by the collar and hauls me an inch away from his face, growling out, "I don't give a fuck what your name is, and quite frankly I never want to find out. What's the point of learning some shitty Devil's name? So you can use it when you enslave me for your own little Peerage like one of your kind did to my Sister?"

…So that's what this is about.

Still, I have no intention of becoming someone's emotional punching bag.

Narrowing my eyes I icily reply with, "Look pal, I didn't ask for your life story and you really want to let go of me-"

My threat is rather unceremoniously cut off as he slaps me with an open hand on the side of the head and wow he's strong.

I blink away the stars in my eyes as he hisses out, "What is it I want to do again? Let go of you? Make me."

Well, if you insist…

I quickly grab his hand that's holding my collar despite the fuzziness inside my head and drive my thumb into the radial nerve near the crook of his elbow, causing him to hiss in sudden pain as his whole body suddenly twists away at the unpleasant sensation. I take advantage of his brief incapacitation to push away from him in an uneven stumble, thankfully Starlan is there to re-balance me. I give him a quick nod of thanks as Kleng rights himself, face now contorted with rage.

Well if that's how this is gonna go down, then I really wish I was as talented as Caine in this-

"Is there a reason 2 students are fighting in the middle of my classroom?"

Kleng grudgingly lets go of me and faces Instructor Jeremy with a look on his face suggesting he's been blue-balled in the worst way possible.

"No Sir..."

Despite the obvious disrespect Jeremy just gives us a strange look before idly musing, "Well there's the sparring field if you 2 are so eager to put some sort of grudge to rest, I'm sure no one would object…"

WHAT?! No! You idiot don't tell him that-

There's a dark chuckle from Kleng and he fixes me with a look any predator would recognize.

"Meet me on the sparring field in 15 minutes. This is a Holmgang now, Devil. Run, and I'll let the entire Academy know that the newly transferred Devil is a coward."

…Is it really cowardice to turn down a challenge on my first day in school, made by someone alot of people obviously play it safe around?

…Ah who am I kidding? This is a warrior culture. There's no real harm in getting beaten down in a fight, but refusing it entirely will start causing rumors. No doubt by those people who feel the same way as Kleng, that all Devils are worthless pieces of shit.

And if memory serves, a Holmgang isn't just some invitation to spar, it carries the weight of settling disputes and other stuff like that.

Yah…I'm stuck.

And I'll be real here. Getting manhandled by the asshole kinda makes me want to put him in his place.

…Wow, I think I just channeled my inner Riser and Caine with that thought there.

Without a backward glance Kleng stalks off and 2 equally resigned sighs escape from Staran and Bylar.

"Well, it was nice having you as a friend for all of today. Any words I should add to your tombstone?"

I frown at Bylar's dry tone and ask, "Is it really that bad?"

"Yup", he plainly replies, "Kleng is kind of a confrontational, overemotional dick but he knows how to fight, don't let that physique of his fool you. It's like trying to wrestle a bear."

"Oh that's just friggin' wonderful."

Word traveled fast, apparently. There's almost 50 people and more arriving every couple seconds, all of them gathering excitedly around the raised hide covered platform where I'll be taking on Kleng.

Ugh, this level of showmanship is more Riser's cup of tea than it is mine, I prefer more down low types of disputes.

I push aside my exasperation for now and instead climb onto the stage, ignoring the mix of shouted encouragement and taunts, choosing instead to focus on Kleng, who looks like he can't wait to tear into me.

"So what's the deal here? Any rules I should know about?"

He snarls and sharply replies, "No tricks, just a straight up fight until one of us is unable to move."

…Those rules seem rather…lax. So am I allowed to use Magic or does that count as a-

The crowd, now almost a 100 strong, roars in excitement as Kleng suddenly charges forward, head low and arms raised on either side of his body.

Damn he's fast!

I barely roll out of the way in time and quickly jump back a few meters in order to get my bearings. I really don't want to advertise my power over shadows right now since a rumor of a recently transferred Devil that can use the Valefor's bloodline is kinda a massive signal flare to anyone who might still be after me, so that's out.

And is Magic even allowed? I mean Klengs not using any and he's a student here, so wouldn't he be using that if he could?

Not to mention his phrasing was kinda weird. Also would a culture as warrior like as the Norse condone long-range stuff like Magic? I mean, their Valkyries use it-

I'm so wrapped up in my thoughts that I almost miss Kleng aiming a bone-shattering punch at my head and barely get an open palm up in front of it in time to lessen the blow, merely knocking my lights out instead of fracturing my skull.

"Are you mocking me?! Daydreaming in the middle of a fight?!"

Kleng growls like some angry beast and I mentally kick myself for doing what I always end up doing in spars.

Dad's words come back to me pretty clearly.

'Jonah, you tend to fall into the same trap over and over again. You think too much and do too little. Your intelligence is your downfall, overthinking every little variable and failing to act on them in any useful manner. Be brave and make the first move, destabilize your opponent and then use your mind to pick apart their weaknesses. That will be your strength.'

…Some poor Son I'd make if I don't at least take Dad's advice.

With that in mind I shake the dizziness out of my head, ignoring the vague feeling of nausea that comes with it, and charge at Kleng while he's still monologuing, catching him off guard.

Deciding to test how durable he is I quickly land a solid punch to the side of his gut, causing him to mildly grunt in pain but not much else. I guess physical attacks are out unless I can hit him somewhere crippling…

"ARE YOU WAITING FOR AN INVITATION?! USE MAGIC ALREADY YOU IDIOT!"

Was that Sylvi's voice?! Oh crap she's probably gonna be pissed that I went ahead and got wrapped in this after she specifically told me to take it easy...

Well, it's not like it was totally my fault.

I put that aside for the moment and grin, now in my comfort zone. In fact…why don't we turn a few heads while we're at it?

Kleng turns towards me and charges yet again, while I patiently wait for him to get closer, my mind running through available spell combinations that'll do the trick in the most eye-catching way possible.

Might as well wow the crowd.

He gets within 2 meters…and suddenly finds himself thrown back, feet desperately skidding for traction as a gale-force wind bashes him full-force, said wind being shot out from a green Magic circle lazily rotating in my left hand.

Not missing a beat I raise my right hand to accompany the other and a pale blue circle, almost white really, fires a burst of icicles that rapidly embed themselves in Kleng's legs, frost expanding where they hit the skin and freezing him to the ground despite the gusts of wind.

I take a moment to glance at the crowd and can't hide my smirk as I see their faces.

They're all dumbstruck.

I can see why though. After all, they're currently watching a Devil use their Norse Magic with seemingly zero effort.

I'm rather proud of myself for learning the basics within 3 days, well enough that I can use them in a practical situation at any rate.

I briefly halt the ice attack and dispel the Magic circle with a flick of my wrist, instead summoning a bright yellow one that suddenly crackles with electricity, several arcs suddenly snapping outwards and striking Kleng, causing him to spasm and make an odd wrk noise as his muscles seize.

I'm tempted to just leave things at that and call it a victory, but…I'm still kinda upset about the whole getting slapped across the face thing.

With that in mind I dart forward until my body is parallel with his. Drawing back my elbow I allow myself an even wider smirk before slamming it into his skull, just behind his ear.

There's a dull crack and his eyes glaze over before his body slumps, still held upright by the ice pinning him to the stage.

Dead silence.

…Maybe I went overboard with the-

"Holy crap that was awesome!"

I resist the urge to roll my eyes as Bylar's voice suddenly rings out, excitement evident in his tone.

I glance over and find Starlan wearing a look of amusement on his face at the smaller guy's enthusiasm and that one shout seems to break open the floodgates as the entire crowd starts talking at once.

A quick headcount shows most of them seem pretty enthusiastic about the whole thing, in fact I hear a few shouts of, 'About time someone had Kleng chill out!' and, 'How did a Devil use our Magic so well? Has he been here before?'.

Sure, there's the occasional dark mutter or wary gaze, but mostly it's just positive stuff.

And thank Satan for that…

"Oh Jonaaaaah~…"

…Double crap.

"What was it I advised you not to do on your first day?"

"…Not step on toes and try to take over the school?"

The fake happiness on Sylvi's face is somehow more terrifying than Kleng's openly murderous aura and I'm not ashamed to admit that I take an inadvertent step back.

Crap, I'm reminded of the rare moment when Riser would push Ravel too far with his teasing…it never ended well for those within a 10 meter radius, or who weren't naturally fireproof.

"And what exactly do you call participating in a Holmgang in front of the whole Academy?"

"…He started it?"

Oh no that was exactly the wrong thing to-

"That's your excu-"

"Erm, Sylvi? Perhaps you shouldn't, um…pursue this topic in such a public place."

Oh thank you Rossweisse! The younger Sister seems to grudgingly accept that tearing me a new hide in the open probably isn't the best of ideas and instead grumbles out, "We're talking about this on the way back."

…Well at least my execution was postponed, if not completely halted.

Although the vague mumbling from the crowd around me has shifted tone quite a bit.

'Whoah, is he talking to the Magnhild Sisters?'

'That would explain where he learned our Magic…'

'That lucky Son of a Bitch!'

'He's with the Ever-Single Valkyrie and her Sister?"

…If they knew the kind of Hell Sylvi is no doubt gonna unleash on me I doubt some of those jealous whispers would be quite so jealous. But, seriously?

Ever-Single Valkyrie?

"Hey, uh, Jonah?"

I turn around to see Bylar and Starlan staring at me with a sort of wary respect, although their eyes keep flicking over to the Sisters. Are those 2 really that intimidating?

"What's up Bylar?"

"Uhh…on second thought, how about we just talk to you tomorrow? It looks like someone else is already asking for your time…"

I frown but immediately understand once I see the death glare Sylvi is giving them.

"Yah…I'll see you tomorrow."

I quickly gather up my bag and start following Sylvi, Rossweisse giving a quick bow to the 2 of them before tailing us with nervousness evident in her body language.

We carry on like that for awhile, my anxiety slowly building until Rossweisse hesitantly speaks up with, "Um…Sylvi? I'm sure Jonah had a good reason to-"

With a sudden swirl of silver-grey hair Sylvi whips around and fixes me with a look of such legitimate anger that I instinctively recoil while she angrily hisses, "What were you thinking?! I heard from Grandmother about what happened to your family, and your first course of action after going into hiding is to try to get as much attention as you possibly can?! Are you suicidal?!"

Her rather valid point catches me off guard and I defensively reply with, "What do you care? You've known me for all of 4 days, what's with the sudden interest?"

The look of absolute rage on her face clues me in that that was the worst possible thing to say, and even Rossweisse looks offended by my words.

"Are you kidding me?! Are you that dense or are Devils naturally callous? You looked like you were pretty damn friendly with those 2 back there after just a few hours, 4 days is plenty for someone to become friends you Asshole!"

…Shit.

Well damn if I don't feel, much like Sylvi said, like a complete and total asshole right now.

Again, Riser's words of, 'What's the point of all that learning if you can't even apply it properly?' ring throughout my head and I heave a sigh, knowing he was close to the mark even if he hadn't known it at the time. I can study all the social interaction and high-society texts I want, but real life is a whole different game…

I quietly sigh and square my shoulders before facing Sylvi.

"I didn't mean it that way. Where I'm from…selflessness like you and your Sister's is rarely genuine, in fact I can only think of 2 people my age that I ever really trusted entirely…I'm sorry if I insulted you, I was just…surprised."

Silence is my only response until the younger girl just heaves a heavy breath and wryly says, "Fair enough…and I, uh…guess I'm sorry for flying off the handle there. Me and Rossweisse haven't ever really travelled outside of Asgard before, so alot of this stuff you're going through seems…frightening, I guess."

I can't help the slight chuckle and easily respond, "That makes 3 of us then. But you're right about me making too much of a scene. In the future I'll try to keep things more…contained."

Rossweisse offers a small smile while Sylvi just rolls her eyes, the Older Sister carefully replying, "That's good to hear Jonah…but on that note, how did you learn to use our Magic with such efficiency? Using 2 different types at the same time while intermixing a 3rd is no easy feat, are you sure you've never used our Magic before?"

"Yeah, 100%. Why? Is that really so impressive? I mean sure, it's not easy, but I imagine alot of you learn it pretty fast. All you really do is keep the 2 systems contained in each hand and not let the Magic patterns overlap, although I guess that could be a problem if you don't keep the residual power leakage from each circle under control…"

I trail off as both Sisters are giving me a look similar to the one they had when I first showed them my understanding of their Magic techniques.

"…Your looks suggest that it isn't as easy I just made it out to be."

Sylvi rubs her eyes with one hands and gives a disbelieving huff.

"Incredibly skilled in Magic, personable, kinda hot…you Devil's really are dangerous, aren't you?"

I try not to blush at her words and instead idly reply, "Why, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Sure you don't…"

I decide to try to end the day on a more relaxed note and ask, "Hey enough about me, how was your girl's day? I heard someone mention something about a 'Ever-Single Valkyrie'?"

Rossweisse makes an urk noise and turns red while Sylvi snorts.

"That's my Sister they're talking about obviously. Her nonexistent social skills tend to make people think she's weird, and her complete failure when it comes to boys is even more dismal…"

"Sylvi!"

Rossweisse smacks her sister on the back of the head and I can't help but chuckle.

"You have trouble talking to people? That's weird, given your beauty I would have thought it'd be the other way around…"

She gives a small eep of embarrassment and stammers out, "I-I'm not t-that good l-looking!"

Sylvi just gives me a resigned look and dryly says, "See what I mean? Totally helpless."

I wince and can't help but agree. Instead I just put a companionable hand on Rossweisse's shoulder and go for a friendly, "Don't worry Rossweisse, from one person who's self-evidently socially challenged to another, we'll help each other out."

Her only response is a watery smile while Sylvi just snorts in amusement.

"Well with that out of the way, how about you hear about what I did today? First, there was this cute boy in my class who wanted to know if I was single…"

A strangely relaxed smile comes to my face as I hear the sisters banter back and forth, occasionally joining in myself.

Nothing like good company to make the day a little brighter.

"I'm back!"

Hertha smiles at me as I walk in, something that I'm glad to see. She and Bjarke had been listless for the past 2 days, no doubt shocked by the news of what had happened to my family and Hayden, but in between my promise to get revenge and Caine's likely survival they're far more active and decisive now, putting aside their grief in favor of action.

"Welcome back Jonah, how was your first day? Bjarke is out patrolling the borders right now, but he'll likely want to know as soon as he gets back as well."

"Well…it was enlightening. And very hectic."

Kind of an understatement, but let's just set that aside for now.

With a nostalgic smile Hertha muses, "First days at the Academy often were…did you make any friends aside from the Magnhild sisters?"

2 faces pop into my mind and a wry grin comes to my face.

"I did actually. Know anyone by the names of Staran Dreng and Bylar Hallbjorn?"

I'd snuck a look at the attendance roster since they hadn't immediately told me their family names, although it hadn't really told me anything of value since I'm a total stranger here.

To my surprise Hertha arches an eyebrow before snorting in mirth.

"Of course a Valefor would automatically gravitate toward those with less than 'legitimate' means of living…The Dreng and Hallbjorn families, while not really crime families in the sense that you're familiar with, nonetheless deal in illicit goods and other such things with other factions, or throughout Asgard. No one has ever been able to pin them with anything solid, but it's really just a public secret at this point."

My head thumps to the table and I mutter out, "And those were the 2 people I just so happened to befriend on the first day…talk about the Devil's luck…"

This time Hertha actually laughs before more relaxedly continuing with, "Well if what you said in the audience with Lord Odin still holds true, then this is a golden opportunity to begin making friendly ties with these families. A word of caution though, there are rumors that both Bylar and Staran have had…less than cordial interactions with their family the past few years. Again, nothing solid, but be careful nonetheless."

I just lean back with a sigh and consider this latest bit of news. Nothing can ever be simple, can it?

"Well enough about that! Meet any cute girls? With your exotic looks and background no doubt you'll be quite the ladies man in the future…"

I feel myself blush for whatever dumb reason as 2 very specific sisters flash through my mind…

I cough and haltingly reply, "Well, I guess you could say I, uh…saw a different side to people I'd met before?"

She doesn't miss a beat and smugly says, "The Magnhild sisters got mad at you for something, didn't they?"

"How the Hell did you know that?!"

She just winks at me slyly.

"Women's intuition."

And now we're in High School! Everything anime related needs High School!

...In all seriousness though the actual academy itself won't be playing too much of a role, although the people related to it certainly will...

I don't have too much to say about this chapter actually, which feels weird. Or maybe it's just because I'm on Spring Break right now and want to get back to hanging out with my family lol.

Pretty much everything else I have to say is a thing one reviewer commented on, about some of my OC's having biblical names despite being Devils. In response to that I say:

If you think Jonah and Philip are bad, I was totally gonna name Jonah 'Abel' at first, just because I have a twisted sense of humor that way.