Mairimashita! Iruma-kun: Shadows of the Past, part 32
Each student reported to their respective sensei for debriefing. The teachers handed out the dossiers they had created for Victoria as they explained their contents. Every sensei worded things differently, but these were the common themes: Never trust Ai. Do not be tempted to defect. Be prepared for pain.
Balam took his time talking to his student generals. They needed to understand that they were responsible for those around them, not just in giving orders, but protecting and fully utilizing each member of their faux army as well. Pandora watched happily from the side. She was so excited to finally see him work.
Vincente huddled his group close as he whispered the tools of his trade - secrets. Purson, Camui, and Allocer would be vital in communicating between the different groups. It was up to them to find out the abilities, weaknesses, and assignments of both their peers and enemies. They would also work closely with the security team.
In Lamya's group, Persephone had just finished distributing the girls' jobs. Clara seemed excited, Kerori annoyed, and Elizabetta a little concerned. "Are you sure that's the best route?", she asked politely.
Persephone smirked in response. "Part of the game is to keep the enemy guessing. Even if they sort out your primary assignments, there will still be ways to throw them off your scent... I expect you three to show your classmates just how capable a woman can be on the battlefield. Do not disappoint me."
Lastly, Kalego's team listened to his lengthy warning about Victoria. Wrapping up, he grinned darkly. "Don't forget, we teachers will also be playing the part of enemy elites to test you in combat." The boys stiffened at the evil look in his eye. They could tell he was looking forward to that part.
"Sensei? You weren't serious about Victoria potentially killing us if captured, right?", ventured Lied. His hopeful tone slipped away quickly at his teacher's dour expression. Taking a calming breath, Kalego tried to be candid.
"I was very serious. This exercise is no mere game… I told you brats that Victoria was not to be underestimated. That means expect her to play dirty and be dangerous."
"But teachers are supposed to protect students, de gozaru", uttered Gaap. Kalego smirked faintly. "Ai isn't a teacher; She's a real criminal… I'm telling you this to prepare you", he said grimly. Jazz stared in wonder. "That's actually a little scary", he said. "Good. You should be scared", said Kalego, looking over his notes.
Lied sidled up to Iruma in the meantime. "Iruma-kun, the chair demon wouldn't send a real criminal after us, would he? Sensei's just trying to scare us", he whispered. Iruma grinned nervously. "Well, they are trying to prepare us", he said lamely. "Yeah, but for what?", asked Jazz.
Kalego glanced up from his notebook at their muttering. "For what?", he repeated, clearly annoyed. Sighing, he tried to keep his cool. Victoria was a sore subject.
"Listen well. The demon world has been at war for a long time and with the throne currently vacant, our political peace is quickly deteriorating. You brats have been sheltered so far, but the real world is going to catch up with you fast over the next few years. It's my duty to prepare you for that… We can all hope things will get better, but the reality is there are dangerous demons out there looking for a weak link to exploit and your class has garnered attention from well beyond the halls of Babylus. I can't let you idiots blindly walk into an untimely demise just because you aren't ready to face it. To do so would mean I failed as your instructor. Only the strong thrive out here, so stop complaining and get ready to fight for your place in the future… Once you graduate, we teachers can no longer protect you."
His words hit hard. It was suddenly abundantly clear that he did have their best interests at heart despite his callous nature. Now, Iruma was even more determined than before. As their king, it was his job to light that inspiration in each of his peers.
"Right. You heard, Kalego-sensei, guys. We have to do this right and put in our all. We are going to protect Pandora-san and pass this test with flying colors. Who's with me?"
He looked to his friends with eager anticipation. Each member of the group slowly caught his grin. With a group handshake, they were all on board.
Kalego hid a small smile. As annoying as his students could be, they were good kids and Iruma had a way of moving their hearts. Now he only hoped he hadn't told them too much. Luckily, no one had asked anything personal about Victoria during the debriefing. Kalego was able to objectively and professionally answer their questions.
In the near distance, Ameri watched Iruma closely. It was obvious that things weren't quite what they seemed. Yet, seeing him smile in the face of this trial put her mind at ease. She was still concerned as to why all of this was necessary, but supported Sullivan's decision. She knew he cherished his students.
Once the groups had finished their meetings, the students lined up properly once more, awaiting their orders. To their amazement, a huge obstacle course had been set up along the side of the estate. Opera had not been idle while they were distracted.
Eager to get the misfits whipped into fighting shape, Lamya-sensei was first up to address the group. "Let's get those muscles limber. Line up, whelps!", shouted Persephone. Kalego glared mildly at the stragglers, prompting them to quickly fall in line.
"We'll start easy. Six repetitions of the following - six push-ups, six squats, and six wing stretches", she instructed. Noting the lackluster response, her grin faded. "Did I stutter?...Get moving!"
Jolting to attention at her harsh tone, the abnormal class obeyed. Balam held his silence, knowing the kids' best interest was at the heart of her drills while Kalego smirked at their collective exhaustion. Undoubtedly his students had done absolutely nothing during the school's closure. In his mind, it served them right to get such a wake up call.
Sabnock and Azzkun showed more spunk than their comrades during drills, but as generals, they should have. Persephone quietly approved while keeping an eye on the back of the group where Iruma's lack of wings would be less noticeable.
Beside the boy stood Pandora, joining in for moral support. Iruma ended up staring at the butchered remains of her wings as she tried to stretch them. Kalego and Shichiro had been told of their condition, but hadn't seen how bad it really was until now. They paled in concern.
The webbing was completely missing and the bones making up the frame had been hacked off at jagged angles. It had to have been intensely agonizing when it happened. She had both of their deepest sympathies. Being confined to the earth was a cruel fate for those gifted with flight. Each recalled just how much she loved to fly in their school days, but she never would take to the skies again.
Watching closely, Persephone had to hold a stern expression for the sake of her cadets, but those who knew her could easily spot the darkness in her eye. She worried for her cousin's well being. Still, she was happy that Pandora was trying.
Meanwhile, Kalego assumed Iruma's concern was what prevented him from stretching his own wings, but that nagging thought still lingered in the back of his mind. The summoning, his blood's ability to heal, his unusual personality. Could he be?… He would have his answer soon enough.
After warm ups, the teens wearily looked over their exercise course. It was larger and way more intense than the one they had run at school. Glancing into a deep pit, Jazz smirked, "The snakes are a nice touch." Kalego and Persephone glanced at one another at those words. Neither had planted the serpents.
Inspecting the pit himself, Kalego glared at the writhing shadows. They reeked of Victoria's magic. Seeing him tense, Persephone put a comforting hand on his shoulder. This simple consolation wasn't missed by the class.
"Did they always stand that close together?", uttered Camui. "Oh, how lovely", grinned Elizabetta. Both were startled by Vincente's tense approach. He wasn't ready to give up on Persephone's heart yet.
Sensing their whispers and Valiant's burning stare, Persephone stepped away to a professional distance. Keeping her voice low, she said, "I'll take care of this."
A massive fire suddenly lit the entire pit. The screeches of the dying snakes hurt the ears of those present. Calmly meeting the shocked faces behind her, Persephone held a level expression.
"Good catch, Jazz. That was Victoria's first test… Don't fret, Crocell. They weren't real serpents; They were shadow beings. Just ignore the noises. It's only the sound of their dark essence being purified by flame."
Kerori glanced toward Camui for verification. The two beast tamers wouldn't abide by such needless animal violence, but he nodded in agreement. Lamya was telling the truth. He could hear no pain or words within the sounds.
Nearby, Iruma stared with worry as Balam, Opera, and Henri investigated the scene. Somehow, Ai had managed to manifest dozens, if not hundreds, of shadow creatures right under their noses. A grim aura surrounded the group of adults as they pondered their origin.
Distracting the misfits, Nene clapped for attention. Once she had it, she smiled wide beside Sullivan. "Sa-chan and I just had the most wonderful idea! Let's make the course a competition between teams!"
Her diversion worked perfectly. The teens started excitedly chattering about what they would win. "Winning team gets first choice of sleeping arrangements!", said Sullivan, cheerfully. To add fuel to the proverbial fire, Nene added, "Losing team's sensei has to sing for everyone tonight!"
Kalego's face instantly swiveled toward her in frustrated rage. How could she be so carefree at a time like this? Such an irritating woman. Seeing him glower, Persephone offered a small grin to soothe his subdued wrath. Her master had a certain way of handling things. It worked well, though. The kids were fired up all over again.
"No way!" "I can't really picture that." "What do you mean? Sensei sings the school song every morning! " "Yeah, but that's different. It's in a big group." "I've never heard Balam-sensei sing." "What if it's a tie?"
Nene smiled serenely, pleased her ploy worked so well. "If it's a tie, Pandora-chan will sing!", she beamed. Pandora smiled politely as the teens looked at her in question. Iruma couldn't help, but grin at the thought. He had been told she was a gifted musician in school. He looked forward to seeing her come out of her shell. Beside her, Balam looked eager for it, too. Seeing so many excited faces, she happily agreed.
"I'd be pleased to accompany you on violin, good lady", grinned Valiant, happy to play along. "Wonderful! Then Kalego-kun can man the piano", smiled Pandora. Persephone grinned faintly at the image as well as the barely hidden enthusiasm on Balam's face.
Kalego sighed to himself as he slowly relaxed, back under the keen stares of his students. "Senpai, find out how she did it", he said darkly. Opera nodded. "Of course. She won't slip under my watch again." They had taken her challenge personally. How dare she pull such a trick at Sullivan's home. They spoke quietly with Azazel as Kalego rejoined his class.
Smirking in amusement, he agreed to Pandora's offer. She looked so happy to play together again after so long. It warmed something deep in his heart. She was slowly coming back to life.
"Hey wait! If sensei has to sing, let's put Iruma-kun on piano!" "Yeah!" "And our own Pixie can play the trumpet!"
Fighting an eye twitch, Kalego grit his teeth. "All right you brats, calm down. This is training, not a concert", he grumbled. Sullivan smiled despite his reaction. "It can be both", grinned the principal. Kalego sighed in defeat, irritated. He then smiled evilly at his team as if to say, "You'd better not lose."
That afternoon, the misfits were already getting ragged. They had run through Persephone's obstacle course twice and were getting ready to practice hand to hand combat with their assigned teachers.
The boys kept an intrigued eye turned toward the girls. They had yet to find out who had what role. "Neesan would make a wonderful nurse", said Lied, dreamy eyed and lost to his fantasies. "Yeah, but Kerori can ice injuries", said Jazz.
"Wouldn't it make more sense for Neesan to be the enemy agent? She could charm any one of us", ventured Allocer. Lied immediately spazzed, "What are you saying?! Don't you dare tarnish her beauty!"
"Um, Lied-kun, did you already forget the harvest festival?", said Iruma as politely as possible. Lied's fury vanished as he remembered being charmed out of his precious ingredients.
"But what about Clarin? She'd make an excellent agent of chaos", he replied. "That's true", ceded Iruma. Jazz grinned wide. "One way to find out", he smirked. A quick thump to the back of Lied's head and he cheerfully called out, "Medic!", as his friend held his now throbbing skull. "What was that for?!"
A green flurry of motion came barreling toward them. A cloud of stirred dust and flailing limbs gave way to the sight of Lied thoroughly bandaged to the point of immobility. "All better!", grinned Clara, proudly.
"Huh. Clara's the healer", observed Jazz. Lied sent him a dirty look. "You could have just asked!", he spat. Clara then grinned mischievously toward Iruma as she pulled another roll of bandages from her pocket.
"Do you need fixed, too, Irumachi?", she asked. Nervously waving, he assured her he was fine. Her proud expression fell instantly as she remembered something.
"I almost forgot the most important part of treatment!", she panicked. Even Azz peered over at that point, curious. Joining them, Sabnock grinned as Clara smooched the top of Lied's head. "Mwah! All better!", she beamed.
Lied didn't seem to know how to react and his friends were trying not to laugh. "As expected of a big sister. That's good medicine", said Sabnock, nodding in approval. Lied sighed, giving up.
"Uh, Clarin? A little help?", he said meekly. She'd essentially tied him into place. Unphased, she pulled a single spot and the entire cast came undone. "You heal fast!", she stated, impressed.
Snickering beside them, Jazz teased, "You're lucky you got a good nurse." As the teens joked around, Persephone approached calmly. "Valac, what did I say about wasting supplies?", she ventured. Clara seemed to think it over before responding, "It's okay! I can always pull out more!"
Persephone sighed as she rubbed her temples in mild annoyance. She was starting to appreciate just how patient Kalego had to be on a daily basis. As if on cue, he came into view beside Balam.
"Enough fooling around. Everyone report for combat basics!", he called. The fun over, the students complied. Within minutes, the entire estate was abuzz with activity.
Used to defending himself against a combined attack in training, Balam was taking on all three of his pupils at once. Pandora stared, completely fixated. He'd grown so strong while she was away. A new determination started to well up within her. She had a lot of catching up to do.
Nearby, Persephone had already knocked Kerori to the dirt. "Your beasts can't do all of your fighting for you. Show me you can do better", she taunted.
Even Vincente was besting his group. Purson's attempt at a sneak attack from behind failed miserably. He looked at his instructor in shock as Valiant caught him by the collar without even looking. He had a smug grin as he said, "Don't forget who I am. I've worked with your family before. Ask your dad about me some time", before flipping the boy onto the ground.
Time passed quickly as each sensei beat their students over and over again. After the first two rounds, they introduced a simple marking magic. Anywhere that got hit would glow red, marking potential injuries.
Nearly out of breath, Lied stared in shock as Kalego's palm stopped mere millimeters before hitting him squarely in the chest. A shockwave pulsed through him. Such power...
"What the - ?", he uttered. With a smirk, his sensei finished the blow, though much softer than it would have initially been. Iruma watched Lied tumble along the ground in shock. This was going easy on them?
Sitting up, Lied reflexively put his hand over his chest. "Sensei, what the Hell?! That hurt!", he complained. A red circle now marked Lied's clothing where he had been hit. Iruma came over to help, but was immediately stopped by a cold look from their teacher. He couldn't interfere.
Joining their group, Lamya and Clara quickly assessed their patient. Pulling out copious bandages from her pockets, Clara cheerfully said, "I can fix you!". Persephone shook her head, killing her enthusiasm. "Fatality", stated Persephone. Clara made a face as she playfully poked Lied anyway. "Boo boo. You're dead."
Annoyed, Lied argued, "I could pull through!", trying to dismiss his imaginary death blow. Coming up, Kalego offered his hand to help him up. "The doctor says you're dead. At least try to accept it with a little honor", he smirked.
"Why did you have to aim for my lungs?!", grumbled Lied. His whining made his teacher withdraw his offer for help. Staring grimly, Kalego warned, "If this were a real fight, your enemy would not hesitate to end you. Don't forget that."
Hauling him to his feet by the back of his collar, Persephone grinned faintly. "If we go too soft on you, then this is all for nothing… Now stop whining; The dead don't complain. Off to the penalty box with you."
Her smile faded quickly as she spoke, but she was right. Sighing in defeat, Lied took his seat off to the side with a sign around his neck that read, "Killed on the first day". It was so unfair.
A little later, Iruma and others had joined Lied in defeat. Yet their grumbling was interrupted by an unexpected sight. Dali-sensei was happily walking up the property to meet Kalego. They wondered what the sudden visit was about, but figured it was just school business. Although that could easily be discussed via phone.
Excusing himself from his remaining two students, Kalego met his superior with a look that was a mix of relief and concern. "Thank you for coming", he began. Dali grinned at the sight of everyone working hard. "I couldn't miss this. It isn't every day I get to see such an interesting experiment", he cheerfully replied.
As the two stepped out of sight, Dali's smile fell. "Are you certain it was Ai?", he asked darkly. Kalego nodded with certainty. "Those shadows smelled strongly of her mana", he stated.
Kalego had called his senpai earlier about the strange serpents. Dali had been keeping busy, directing the school team during all of this, but he was well aware of his kouhai's history with the demon in question. After all, he was the one who trained him upon entering Babylus as a teacher.
"That isn't good", uttered Dali in thought. Kalego looked at him flatly. Was that really all he was going to bring to the conversation? Another face approached the duo with a subdued, but polite grin. Dali smiled in recognition.
"Ah, Lamya-chan, I see you're here, too. Kalego-kun didn't tell me you were still here", he greeted. "Nene-sama and I have opted to stay for the long haul. Victoria must be stopped for good this time", she explained. He nodded in agreement.
"It is high time. I'm glad you could stay. Having two such strong healers on standby is a relief with all of these kids around. I've gotta say, I was a bit surprised you agreed to this plan, Kalego."
The misfits' homeroom teacher smirked in response. "It was the only way to prepare them without giving out too many details", he ceded. Dali grinned mischievously. "Mmhmm, and the fact that Persephone is here had nothing to do with your unusually agreeable attitude", he teased. "That's - !", spat Kalego, stiffening up in irritation.
Dali laughed briefly. "I know, I know. I'm sorry. Just couldn't resist… But in all seriousness, the school is under double lock down. After Kiriwo's little visit, most of the teachers have been taking shifts to watch over things. It's highly likely that Ai already has everything she needs, but we can't take any chances. Honestly, there's no telling what she has planned this time. She seems more desperate than her previous attempts to get to you… Are you alright?"
Kalego's face grew dark as he stared into the distance. He was clearly concerned for his students. "I'll be fine. I have years of practice dealing with that crazy woman… These kids don't have that luxury."
Dali smiled slightly at his dedication. For all his grumbling and harsh persona, Kalego was a good man and a great teacher.
"I know you'll keep them safe. That's why Lord Sullivan put you in charge of this operation", said Dali. Persephone offered her lover a supportive grin in agreement. A faint smirk crossed Kalego's lips. "I swear to you both, this will be the last time Victoria threatens anyone. Count on it."
They spoke for a bit longer until Persephone returned to her duties. Ready to follow suit, Kalego was stopped by a firm hand on his shoulder. He looked to Dali in question. He had an unusually serious expression. Keeping his voice low, he stepped close.
Kalego's eyes quivered at what had been whispered. "Stay observant. There's a mole." He couldn't believe it. There was a traitor among them? Who could it possibly be? Gritting his teeth, he silently nodded. Dali wouldn't make such an accusation without proof.
to be continued...