The Shadow in the World of Magic

by MagicName88

Hikigaya Hachiman's only goal is to find the wife and daughter of his deceased guardian in a wasteland filled with powerful monsters. For him to do that, he must become a knight and bond with others, but the first person he was forced to approach is a noblewoman who wants to do research with the power of science. The biggest challenge for the young mage's adventure begins.[AU]

13. Chapter 12: From Thy Weakness

Summary of the previous chapter: Hachiman, with the aid of Terrowin and Oliver, fought against the assassins sent to kill him. The battle was fierce, and it resulted in the three students' victory, though at the cost of Hachiman receiving severe injuries. After being healed along with the female assassin named Kawasaki Saki, Hiratsuka suddenly demanded the two injured to cooperate in battling against Havu. After failed attempts in bonding with his killer, Hikigaya wondered if Komachi, Yuigahama, and Yukinoshita were safe.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Oregairu series, as it is respectfully owned by the author and studios.

---

Chapter 12: From Thy Weakness, To The Maidens' Resolve

A little girl sat on a chair near the window as she stared at her pinky finger. The promise she made with a certain boy was the only thought in her mind as she moved around the pinky finger until she raised it into the sun from the window. Her finger being shined from the sunlight was as if the promise was a divine oath hidden within a tiny fraction of her flesh, blood and bones that were intertwined with his. The flowers surrounding them as if that moment was from a beautiful realm where it was just the two of them.

She was just a girl born with the blood of the Gushiken Clan, but before her birth, the clan was already ruined because of the massacre of all the heirs and male members, and the stolen documents of their alchemic secrets. Now a broken clan with only a few women of both housemaids, widows, and mistresses, the only person who carried them back to the status of nobility was her mother, Gushiken Yuna, now referred to her maiden name, Yuigahama Yuna. The little girl, Yuigahama Yui, was outgoing and friendly to others. Her behavior was as normal as any other commoner's children, unless she was a genius (which she wasn't). In her earliest time in Taiyokigen, she had many friends in school and her academics were... average to say the least. It was all bright and almost no trouble. There were, of course, problems, such as harassment from children of the noble families, but it had little effect on her. However, the Yuigahama family caught the attention of the kingdom because of their massive aide with the aftermath of the Blood Squandered War, but Yuna's aim lied elsewhere. And so, Yui, her mother and the entire family left Taiyokigen and the Eastern Continent to reach the Villfalt Kingdom. After arriving at the kingdom, Yui was quite optimistic about living in a completely new environment. But she was wrong. Despite the place having different kinds of people and culture living together, the atmosphere and interactions even towards her own folk were difficult. Many of the Taiyonese children lived in a lifestyle of foreign kingdoms, and so she was forced to learn those foreign cultures to adapt. Because of this issue, those children often mocked her, but in the end she became "friends" with them. The only two things that kept her going were her mother, and the promise with the boy.

When they first met, it wasn't entirely pleasant.

She was afraid of the situation while he was composed throughout.

She was lively and carefree while he was quiet and often serious.

At first, the girl thought this would be impossible for her to get along with this boy. But as little time passed and talked to each other, she began to see the joy in his company and his help.

They would always do a pinky swear because for her, it was a ritual of trust.

She always wanted to do that with him in that place with flowers so that their promise would be like a divine ritual that sent them to the heavens. A beautiful oath sworn with a beautiful bond between the two. Happiness overflow within her heart every time that memory resurfaced. He helped her and her mother reached to this place. The place where she thought it would be a wonderful new start with her mother, only to feel loneliness from not seeing him again. She dreamed of a moment where he would just came in the room at the door to ask her to play. No, knowing him, he would jump into a window and surprise her. That was what he would do. At least in her thoughts because of his personality, and... It would be romantic.

A child with an immature mind.

Sadly, that immature mind would cost greatly.

Yui wished to make more promises with him so that he would be with her forever, but she knew something like that required more than exchanging words and intertwining pinky fingers. She thought that by enrolling in that course, the chances of being with him again would be high. However, As she foolishly convinced her mother to enroll her in the Knight's course at the age of fourteen, the optimism and enthusiasm she carried through her earlier times in the kingdom were slowly shattering. It became a cracked glass as the genuineness of that cheerfulness spilled, and the only way to seal those cracks was the superficiality through blending in to the social standards.

"Ah, It's Yuigahama-san. Be careful on the next physical fitness activity."

"Don't push yourself and leave it to us."

"In our battle formation, you and you will join me at the front. Ms. Yuigahama and the others will be support."

"Follow my back, Yui. I'll show you how a fire mage does her work."

When she showed her close-to-failing academics and her weak aptitude for combat, The academy and then society gave her the role of a follower. The freedom of choice slowly shrank and her actions were pre-determined. She wanted to be strong enough to enter the world where he was accustomed to. She couldn't imagine herself being a leader or an elite, but she wished to be trusted on the front and for her strength to be acknowledged.

"Yui, are you sure you want to keep going?" Yuna asked her daughter in worry. It had come to a point that even Yui's own mother doubted her choices. "You don't need to push yourself that far, y'know? I'm worried you might-"

"I'm fine!" Yui answered with fake positivity as the volume of her voice was a little too loud. "It's okay, mommy. I got a lot of fight left in me."

"Are you sure? It really surprised me when you told me you wanted to be a knight," Her mother said, putting a hand on her own cheek. "I was so sure that taking the family mantle of alchemy would be much suited for you."

"But I hate reading books. Well, not that I don't read, but it's not really helping me at all. Besides, I became friends with a lot of people in the academy, so all is good!"

"You can still meet those people if you enroll in a different course. Why do you want to be a knight, Yui?"

"It's just that I want to be strong, that's all."

"Strength comes in many ways, Yui," The mother said while holding her daughter's shoulder. "There is more than just this."

"It HAS to be this one. If I don't, then I-I can't... meet him again!" Yui shouted, which shocked Yuna by her reason. Yui then wore a look of realization, as if her awareness of what she just said was slow. She averted her gaze in fear, imagining every possible scenario in her mother's reaction. Yuna looked conflicted and remained silent, contemplating her daughter's reason. It wasn't that she didn't expect Yui's reason to be that. She just didn't want to believe it to be true. Yuna wasn't against emotions influencing one's life choices, but everything had a price. Her daughter's price was obvious considering the things they had been through years ago in that forest.

"Yui, why are you obsessed with that boy?" Yuna asked with a worried smile. "Ollie would be jealous if he finds out about this."

"..." Yui remained silent, fearing whatever words she would say to her mother might let things worse. Yuna noticed this and so she continued speaking.

"I know he and Wyl-kun did a lot for us," She said as she held her daughter's hands. "But you remembered what he said to you? Stay away."

"He's just alone! Scared of being with other people! H-He just needs some more time to know how to talk better! Like how he talks to me more... and open to himself."

"He's not scared of other people because he's not sociable. He's scared because he doesn't want to let his own presence ruin their lives."

"He didn't ruin ours!" Yui argued. "He saved us! He saved me! I don't get why no one would see that behind all those dumb fears on dark mages."

"Yui, we are complicated beings," Yuna explained. "And in places full of complicated people, things don't end on a pleasant note when you save a person and stop a villain like a hero, nor being kind to everyone will result to them being kind to you. It's just... not that easy."

"That doesn't mean we should just... forget about him!"

"I know, but you can't let your emotions get the better of you in what you truly want to be. Do you really want to be a knight, not because of your love for him, but for yourself?"

"I... uh..."

"Are you really enjoying your time in the academy?"

"..."

"Yui, I'm not saying we can't meet him again," Yuna reassured Yui while caressing her cheek. "You have to think about yourself first. I don't want you to regret whatever choices you would make in the future. Do what YOU wish to do."

"Mom..."

"Yui, if you're not happy in the knight course, it's not too late for you to transfer or do something else that you could enjoy."

"I don't know..." Yui said softly while rubbing her own left arm. "I don't think being a scholar is my thing. Researching looks hard since I don't pay attention much and I easily get bored at doing something like that. I don't know about alchemy either... I think trying something I can't do is kinda scary."

"How can you know you can't do it if you haven't tried it yet?" Yuna asked.

"It's just... it's no way I can be... just anything..." Yui said, even quieter with her face showing an expression of losing confidence. After being pitied and viewed as one of the weakest and average students in the Knight course, she couldn't see herself being capable of doing other activities. She thought her position in the academy was predetermined. Despite her fiancee, Oliver, and her "friends" still interacted with her, she was still reminded of her weakness. She didn't feel like she belonged in that world. A world where dangers and strength ruled which that boy lived in. Yui wanted to repay everything he had done for her and also wanted to be with him in every situation and trouble. That kind of mindset was reckless, and she wasn't aware of that.

After her first examination in the academy, Yui contemplated whether or not to continue studying in this course. She was able to pass by the edge of a cliff, but it felt like a miracle. A miracle that may have a slim chance of happening again. Even if the grades were passable, it didn't satisfy her in the slightest, as the results weren't enough for her to climb further. She thought about giving up and just do what she thought would suit her, but she was afraid to be alone. The silver lining she could think of was gaining a few "friends", even though it didn't feel like genuine friendship. She was afraid to be alone. Ostracized. It would be odd to think about transferring to another course or give up entirely. It was comparable to moving to another kingdom with an unfamiliar culture and tried to live there. She thought it might've been too late. After pondering the choices in the classroom, she resolved herself to leave. Sword fighting, magic attacks, the heat of battle; Yui finally understood that such a field was beyond her.

"Yui? What's wrong?" Miura asked after stopping her conversation with the group to speak with the orange-haired girl.

"Hm? Ah, not much. Just trying to stay positive that this year would be easier than last year." Yui answered with a smile to hide her genuine emotions.

"You were really close, Yuigahama!" Tobe said loudly, gaining attention from a few classmates outside their group. "A little more mistakes and it wouldn't be pretty!"

"She tried her best," Hayama said. "That's all that matters. Besides, no matter how hard this year will be, Yuigahama can do it."

"Yup, you can count on me if you're having trouble in sword fighting," Ooka said to Yuigahama while pointing a thumb at himself. "Just make sure you know how to move your arm muscles well."

"I don't need your help," Yuigahama responded with puffy cheeks, a little irritated at his words. "I bet I can beat you in combat. Hand-to-hand!"

"Ooh~, that's the spirit, Yuigahama!" Tobe commented with a thumbs-up before the door opened for Hiratsuka to enter the classroom. The moment she mentioned her own presence to the students, they silently returned to their seats and focused their attention to the homeroom teacher.

"This is gonna be strange for you all, but we have a new classmate enrolling here," Hiratsuka announced and the students in the room whispered to each other.

"A new classmate at this time?"

"That really is strange."

"Is it a man or woman?"

"I hope it's a man as handsome as Hayama-sama." While listening to their reactions, Hiratsuka turned to look at the person outside the open door and signalled him to enter. They all heard footsteps that sounded like wood stomping concrete until someone went through the door. It was a man with black uncombed hair with one strand standing on top of his head. His attire comprised of a black kimono with its right sleeve completely torn off, revealing his muscular right arm and plain black, hakama. Behind his back looks like a sword, all covered in brown cloth as he carried with a rope wrapped around it and a large sack. The students were not impressed at his appearance. It wasn't that this was the first time they've seen a person wearing an attire from a different culture since the kingdom was a mix of cultures from many kingdoms, but it was rare for them to see an actual person wearing one. They've seen knights wearing samurai armor, but only a few people in casual eastern wear. That was because the Taiyonese and Eastern people in general became accustomed to the cultures of other kingdoms, particularly in Northern and Western because those two were the most famous in the city. When Hiratsuka first came here in the academy as a teacher, many students were put off by her, but her display of strength, teaching ability, and her quirky personality concerning her relationships with men amused them and respected her as an excellent teacher. For this new student, on the other hand, his appearance made them think he came from the lowest and smallest village they could imagine. Although it may change depending on his attitude, the man's first impression wasn't great.

"Another one from Taiyokigen, huh?" Ebina commented while staring with curiosity at the new classmate. "What's with the clothing though?"

"It's like he doesn't have that many clothes in his closet and wore the same attire," Miura commented, feeling uneasy to the new classmate. "He must be poorer than a peasant, right Yui?... Yui?"

"Eh," Yuigahama didn't answer her friend because of the bewilderment she felt. The new classmate looked too familiar to her. That black hair, those dead-fish eyes that looked at everyone indifferently, and most of all, that strand of hair standing on top of his head. She knew all too well who this was, despite his grown physique. He looked muscular, though not comparable to someone such as one of her friends, Yamato. He had changed so much. Questions formed within her mind. Why did he appear now? Why was he here? What was he doing these past years? Did he still remember her? Was he real? Was he truly standing in front of the entire class with that familiar look of indifference?

"Oi, introduce yourself." Hiratsuka said to the man, and he responded with a sigh. He looked at his classmates with those eyes of a dead fish and they felt uneasy by his stare.

"Hikigaya Hachiman." Hikigaya said his name, and it was all silence. The homeroom teacher and the classmates waited for him to say something, only for the silence to stretch into an awkward atmosphere, telling them that was truly the introduction. It was short. Too short to understand him. He was such an enigmatic presence in the room, their view of him became lower and lower.

"Oi, put more into that introduction of yours," Hiratsuka scolded him and he glared at her. Hikigaya clicked his tongue while scratching the back of his head.

"Fine... let's see..." Hikigaya thought and then put out two fingers from his right hand. His glare made them shook as he expressed the seriousness of his words. "There are two rules I want here: One, don't talk to me; two, try any funny business with me or even try to get close to me, you're dead."

"W-What the hell?"

"How dare you!"

"Who are you to order us?!"

"Why am I not surprise that this happens?" Hiratsuka massaged her own temple in disappointment with the results.

"Now that's an introduction," Ebina commented with a chuckle. "Yeah, I'm staying away from him."

"You say that so casually, but yeah, I agree," Miura said while glaring at Hikigaya. "We got an arrogant lowlife in our classroom. Forget the studies, we're gonna have troubles with this guy."

"Relax, Yumiko. He's probably just dealing with his own problems, which made him act the way he is now," Hayama defended the new classmate. "I think he'll be a good friend."

"As long as he doesn't try anything weird to me." Miura whispered to him.

"Hey, do you think he's like some sort of chimera? That'll be so creepy!" Tobi whispered to them, but his voice was loud enough for Hikigaya to hear those words. Hikigaya glared at him until Hiratsuka punched the back of his head before Tobe noticed.

"So, yeah. He'll be studying in the academy, here at our class, until graduation. So make sure you all get along now. Hikigaya, you go seat over there." The homeroom teacher ordered him as she pointed a finger at the empty seat on the middle lecture table. He clicked his tongue before complying. The eyes of his classmates followed him, wondering what sort of mysteries they could discover from the new enigmatic classmate. Some students didn't bother to see an interest in him and continued moving the hour like normal. Out of everyone in the class, the one orange-haired girl took an interest in him the most. Her cheeks became red, and it took her entire willpower to resist the temptation of catching a glimpse of him. After the first class ended as Hiratsuka left the room, some classmates immediately approached Hikigaya and gave him a barrage of questions and remarks.

"You're from Taiyokigen, right? You wear the same attire as Ms. Hiratsuka."

"Are you related to her by any chance?"

"You got some guts back there. You wanna spar so your two 'rules' are solid here?"

A mix of curiosity, anger, and arrogance. Judging by his facial expressions, Yuigahama could tell he expected those kinds of reactions. The classmates kept pondering him until another group approached them. Hayama, Ebina, and Tobe walked towards the new student with their own expressions of curiosity present in their intentions. Yuigahama decided to join them and quickly followed and timidly hid behind their backs. Feeling like she was left out, Miura joined them as well despite her wish not to even enter the new student's proximity, and then Ooka and Yamato followed suit. Hikigaya noticed the group approaching him, and Hayama was the one who spoke to him first face-to-face.

"Hi, my name is Hayama Hayato. I hope you and I could get along." The golden prince said with a smile which made Hikigaya's eye twitch in annoyance at that behavior.

"... right..." That was Hikigaya's only response to Hayama's overly bright introduction.

"It's not even a minute since you came in here, and you're already the weirdest guy I know!" Tobe interjected with an arm around the new student.

"What did I say about rule number 2?" Hikigaya glared at him because of his invasion of proximity.

"Oh, don't be so gloomy, man!" Tobe said while using the arm wrapped around Hikigaya to pull him closer. "I bet we can be good friends, Hiki... Hikitani-kun?"

"It's Hikigaya..." Hikigaya looked at Hayama, signalling him to get the orange-haired idiot off him.

"Tobe, you're making him uncomfortable." Hayama lightly scolded him while maintaining his smile. Tobe let go of Hikigaya and walked back while shrugging his shoulders.

"What school did you study before transferring here?" Hayama asked a trivial question.

"None of your business." Hikigaya answered with a scoff.

"Hey, don't disrespect Hayato-sama like that!" Miura lashed out against the new student.

"Miura, calm down." Hayama tried to calm the blonde woman.

"Heh, '-sama'? You're the king of this place or something?" Hikigaya smirked.

"It's not really like that. They're just-" Hayama tried to explain his own position in the academy, but Miura and other few classmates intervened.

"That's right!" A female classmate shouted.

"Isn't it obvious? Show him some respect!" A male classmate joined. The rest just mumbled to each other and many of their words still reached Hikigaya's ears. The new student looked at all his new classmates surrounding him until his eyes bumped into Hayama, whose smile twitched slightly.

"So even you got it rough, huh?" Hikigaya said to him and sighed.

"Well-," Hayama tried to speak his mind about it, but Miura interrupted with a shout

"Rough? Hah, something like this is nothing to him," Miura said as she stroke her hair. "Be thankful that the legendary light mage wants to talk to someone like you."

"Yumiko, I'm not 'the' light mage. I'm not the only one in the world." The two blonde students' words made Hikigaya's eyes widen in bewilderment and then glared at them.

"You're a light mage?" He asked with a low tone, and that caught everyone within hearing range's attention. Hayama, on the other hand, just looked at him with an arched eyebrow.

"Yeah, believe it or not." Hayama answered by raising an open hand and cast a golden magic circle on the palm. An orb of light appeared, and it made everyone stared at it in awe and admiration. Miura's stare gave away her emotions as Hikigaya could tell how obsessed the blonde woman was. He rest his chin on a hand and looked up at the ceiling, uncaring for what would come next.

"Then, you should get away from me then. You and I are opposites" His words caused confusion in the classroom. Many wondered while others simply brush it off as a jester from a poor commoner. Hayama could tell the seriousness in Hikigaya's voice and expression as various thoughts formed in the blonde light mage's mind. After a few seconds of thought, he came to possibly the worst conclusion he had ever reached when this new student mentioned they were ' opposites'. The noise became muffled until everything was silent for Hayama. There were two elements that only a few in a billion living beings possessed in this world. The chances of two opposite elemental mages encountering each other were so low, no one would ever imagine the possibility of such an event happening. And yet, here they were. As if the gods decided to rebuild the paths of destiny and guide these individuals, the light mage had finally encountered...

"You're... a dark mage?" Hayama asked in bewilderment and the noise truly stopped. They all stared at the new student as he moved his right hand and cast a small purple magic circle at the palm. A dark aura came out of it and everyone suddenly screamed the moment they witnessed it. They all expressed their disbelief to this rare encounter until their expression changed into contempt within seconds, though there were some who just ran out of the room in fear. The teacher, who was supposed to be in charge of the next class, saw Hikigaya's dark magic and without hesitation, he summoned a four-legged Ziel puppet and jumped towards the dark mage.

"Everyone, evacuate the building immediately!" The teacher shouted at the students and they already complied. The room became empty as only Hikigaya and the teacher was left. The students of Class 2-F shouted warnings that a dark mage truly appeared in the academy. Many seemed to doubt while others were in genuine fear. The teachers stepped out of their classrooms and asked those who were running in the hallway if they were telling the truth. Hayama and the clique reached on the entrance along with the others. While everyone screamed and expressed their fear, there were only two people that remained calm or at least, not afraid or contemptible of this event: Hayama and Yuigahama.

Hayama was rather curious instead of being afraid, though his hands were shaking. It was truly one of the rarest encounters he ever had. A dark mage had the guts to enroll in this academy. Or even entering a city? He, along with many others, had never heard of such a person. Why was he here? What were his intentions? Would the knights detain him soon? If so, when? Everyone had the same questions, but Hayama was the one who asked himself with little fear. As for Yuigahama, she just stared at the window where their classroom was and various lights glowed through the glass, possibly the teachers casting their magic against Hikigaya. Tears ran down to her cheeks, but she didn't whimper. A silent cry that Miura noticed.

"Yui?! Yui, are you alright?" Miura asked while shaking the orange-haired girl. Suddenly, there was a man who had long brown hair with the top portion of his head braided and tied into a ponytail. His attire consisted of a red open front baroque jacket with golden colored lace trim along its collar, hem, lapel, shoulders, and cuffs. Under it was a beige brocade vest, black pants, and of course the white academy cloak. He gently pushed the blonde woman from Yuigahama and said to her with a smile. Miura recognized who he was and just stepped back. "You're Mr. Oliver Seerwind."

"Yes, thank you for trying to comfort my fiancee." Oliver said and hugged Yuigahama.

"You're welcome. Please, excuse me." Miura retreated to give the engaged couple the air to comfort each other, but not before looking back at her friend in worry.

"Are you alright?" Oliver asked.

"Fine..." Yuigahama answered in a soft voice, but since they were close to each other, he was able to hear her answer despite the loud noise around them. While no one was noticing, she smiled, continuing to stare at the window even after it shattered as the pieces of glass fell towards the students. As they ran away to avoid being injured, Yuigahama couldn't see nor hear anything other than herself and the window because her level of awareness shrunk. Her entire mind was filled with nothing but the memories she had with the dark mage. From when he carried her away from those mind-controlled beasts, the time she cried in tears and shouted at him for his cruel words, the moment when he reached his hand to her and asked for her trust in him, and then to all the brief, difficult and wonderful time they had spent together.

The timing of his sudden appearance was so impeccable that it was as if the gods shifted the paths to intertwined theirs together once more. It was unfair. Just when she firmed her resolve to search for an alternative path, he came to extinguish that until nothing of that thought was left in her mind. What were the gods trying to tell her? That her choice was wrong? Her feelings were correct this whole time?

She was beyond confused. These questions may not be answered for long.

But that didn't matter. He was here. A miracle. Fate. An interference from the gods.

Yuigahama swore she wouldn't waste this gift.

Social standards, traditions, and whatever pointless practices she learned would be damned.

This time... The threads between her and the dark mage wouldn't be stretched.

---

The sun had risen, signifying the end of another night. The morning light illuminated a certain town as it awakened the civilians inside their homes. The silence once again broke when the greetings and movement of the people had finally occurred. This place differed from Alexander City: From the silver materials used to build the enormous wall surrounding and protecting the town; structure and placement of buildings; the narrowness and different roads of the streets; and instead of a vast forest full of beasts and monsters, the landscape was a grassland with the only terrain in sight was the mountains.

This is the City of Farquharson, the second largest settlement in Villfalt, with the capital being the largest.

It is named after King Alexander's son, Farquharson.

And this was where the refugees camped near in.

All the citizens of Alexander City, regardless of status except prisoners and criminals, were evacuated and set camp near the outer wall because this was the nearest place to take shelter in. While the capital was preparing for war, this city was bolstering its defenses by polishing and magically enhancing twenty five towers built around the inner walls. Another difference between the capital and this city was the overall strength in magic. Unlike Alexander City, which had strong military might, the City Of Farquharson specialized purely on structural defense. Its military forces mustn't be underestimated either, but compared to the capital's forces consisted of talented individuals along with those with noble blood, the city's forces were just ordinary knights. The City Of Farquharson was also second to Alexander City in terms of resource management, education, and business practices. So, for those who couldn't reach the capital or just decided against going there, this city would be the best alternative in the kingdom.

Thanks to the flat and wide landscape, the refugees were able to set camp without encountering issues such as the occupation of space and chances of dangerous creatures hiding in the woods and shadows. Inside one of the large tents, a woman with short orange hair slept on a thick blanket soft enough to be comfortable to lay on with a think blanket covering her and a pillow. Her eyes slowly opened, and she sat up half-awake. The woman stretched her arms and remained still, thinking about certain things. She wore a white short-sleeve nightgown and stood up with a deep breath. She looked to the left and approached a large wooden chest, opening it to reveal several kinds of clothes. After grabbing the desired set of clothes for the day, she undressed herself and wore a white sleeve blouse and black pants. She opened another chest to take out and wear a leather armor set that only consisted of a vest, armbrace with gauntlets, and greaves. The orange-haired woman grabbed her sheathed double-edge sword and finally went outside to see many refugees walking around and interacting with each other, though all of them she was seeing were nobles.

"Young mistress?" A maid approached her and bowed while holding a tray with three sandwiches and a cup of tea on top. "Will you like to have breakfast?"

"Thanks!" She said her gratitude and grabbed only one sandwich before running off.

"Ah, p-please wait! Lady Yuna said to finish these so you can fully-"

"No need! Give the rest to mommy!"

"Young mistress Yuigahama!?" The maid tried to call back, but her voice was ignored. Yuigahama Yui ran, passing by several people while greeting some she was familiar with until she went out of the settlement and saw a certain woman with black hair tied into a bun and wore the same attire as her. As if she heard her footsteps, the black-haired woman turned around and greeted her with a smile.

"A pleasant morning, Yuigahama-san."

"Yahallo! Yukinon!" Yuigahama said while running towards Yukinoshita Yukino and eating quickly eating the sandwich until it was done.

"Yuigahama-san, do not eat so quickly," Yukinoshita said while giving her a cup of water. "Here, I knew you would come too early and eat a small portion of your breakfast."

"How yu kno?" Yuigahama said while still chewing the sandwich.

"Don't talk with your mouth full. I saw you doing that for the past two days since we came here."

"Sorry, Yukinon. But you know what they say," Yuigahama drank the water and continued. "You can either be early or late! So the earlier, the better!"

"That doesn't mean you should sacrifice and ruin your healthy habits," Yukinoshita sighed and walked to the open grass field, away from the camp settlement. "Don't move so quickly, Yuigahama-san. I promise to train with you so I won't be going anywhere."

"It's fine! We have more time to do so let's start." Yuigahama suggested with a huge smile.

"I suppose. Shall we go with combat training, or magic training through meditation?"

"I want to train magic more... Especially training to control Sablè." The orange-haired girl's suggestion caused Yukinoshita to stop and turn around to look at her in bewilderment. The Ice Queen's blue eyes narrowed, forming a glare that pierced her determination.

"Hikigaya-kun and I had told you to refrain from using Sablè."

"I-I think I can handle it this time. Look!" Yuigahama summoned the small puppy with a body made up of golden flames blazing that couldn't burn grass. Sablè jumped on her left shoulder and looked at Yukinoshita with those blue-flaming eyes. "See? I can summon him at will without chanting. And he doesn't appear on his own without my command."

"Yuigahama-san..." Yukinoshita held her chin in contemplation of Yuigahama's wish, wandering if allowing her to use the Ziel puppet once more would be the correct decision. Almost three weeks ago, the battle royale activity was interrupted by Sablè becoming an uncontrollable beast that could break the makeshift landscape created from Nature's Rule in the training grounds. Although the thought of a Ziel puppet gaining consciousness or Yuigahama creating an actual sentient being was ridiculous, it was the only best possible explanation to that strange occurences happening around him and the behavior he displayed... Unless... "Honestly speaking, I believe that interacting with Sablè is still dangerous, but on the other hand, keeping it away without learning anything to understand him will not do as well."

"So you're okay with it?" Yuigahama asked with a gleam in her eyes.

"I suppose it's fine," Yukinoshita said while smiling with a sigh of surrender, and Yuigahama suddenly hugged her tightly. Yukinoshita was very uncomfortable with her proximity being invaded so casually, but she allowed it a little longer since the orange-haired girl had been gloomy for weeks now. She could easily guess that something happened between Yuigahama and Hikigaya, since whenever she mentioned once about him in a conversation, Yuigahama would always give brief replies in a gloomy or nervous tone and then shifted the conversation to another topic. After Yukinoshita suggested her to train together, the orange-haired girl was overjoyed and then did training the next day with Totsuka joining them to train and fulfill his request at the same time. The two female science members wondered where Hikigaya went because he was absent for days, though Yuigahama's emotion was that of worry while Yukinoshita was more of irritation to the young dark mage's attitude. Just when they had to think about him, the king suddenly executed an evacuation order to all citizens as an army of monsters was approaching the capital. Despite evacuating to this City Of Farquharson, Hikigaya was still nowhere to be found in the settlement. Before she could think any longer, Yuigahama's hug became even more uncomfortable as it tightened, and so Yukinoshita told her to stop, in which she complied.

"It had been two weeks since we last saw Hikki..." Yuigahama said while walking beside her on the grass field.

"It is becoming worrying. Where on earth has that ungrateful fool gone off?"

---

"Where are you going now?" Kawasaki asked with crossed arms as she watched Hikigaya, who was outside the door holding his sheathed double-edged sword.

"Train somewhere." Hikigaya gave a quick answer and just left the cabin.

This was the third day of the two unusual pair staying together in a cabin somewhere in this vast forest. They didn't talk to each other much since the light blue-haired woman wasn't the type to be interactive, while the young dark mage had trouble even starting a decent conversation. Yesterday was his last attempt to at least understand one another, but of course, she only gave brief replies and didn't become open to him. Currently, he respected her wish and just let the days passed without bothering her and if they asked each other questions, they would give quick and understandable answers. While Hikigaya knew little about her, Kawasaki knew more about him thanks to the information given by her former client, Lester Seerwind, the father of Oliver Seerwind.

His full name was Hikigaya Hachiman.

He was born in a village in a small kingdom and lived his childhood with his mother and father until an unfortunate event occurred.

When he partook in a ritual to discover his elemental magic, they discovered his power in dark magic. Since then, they've been treating him as a plague and the month after that, the village chief contemplated whether Hikigaya's fate should either be exiled or execution. He chose the latter and the moment the boy heard his cruel fate, he ran away. It was revealed by a former worker of a place that trained and sell slaves called the Noleta Citadel, Hikigaya was found by the slave trader somewhere in the mountains at the very south of the Eastern Continent and was given "proper training" to be worth of value. After two years of torment, a group known as the Chain Breakers attacked the Noleta Citadel with ease. If one watched the entire battle, he or she wouldn't define it as a battle, but a one-sided massacre. The Chain Breakers didn't show any mercy as evident with hundreds of dead workers and bandits working to protect the citadel and find worthy slaves. The worker who disclosed this information was fortunate to escape and now lived as a simple farmer. He also revealed that a child with dark magic managed to escape the citadel a month before its destruction. The knights found three other people involved in the citadel and gave similar answers regarding the child. Hikigaya's escape was very commendable for two reasons: One, the Noleta Citadel had various powerful magic spells and barriers that kept any slaves from escaping; two, the fact he was still a child when he escaped.

Afterwards, it was unknown he went. The research team led by Lester and did not a single whereabouts nor any information about him in the years after he escaped. They travelled to his former home village and asked the residents a year ago, Hikigaya enrolled in the Sobu Magic Academy. Despite the outrage from the academy's faculty, the noble heads, and many other citizens, both the headmaster and King of Villfalt accepted his enrollment.

Throughout his first year, it didn't take a day for Hikigaya to show his indolent and indifferent behavior. It was as if nothing interested him and that infuriated perhaps everyone in the academy. Even though he was harassed and was constantly challenged to a duel to no end, only for him to refuse every single one, he became one of the most promising students in the Knight course. His academic results were ranked third among all second-year students, and his magic was superb. The only aspect they could not test him was physical prowess and combat experience because he skipped through all the physical fitness classes.

Overall, Kawasaki understood that Hikigaya Hachiman was an innocent individual until misfortune befell upon him with his elemental magic. She was curious about the years after his escape from that citadel. What did he do after that? He didn't return to his home since they willingly agreed to the execution, which made him to run away in fear. So where did he go? Perhaps he came from the continent to Villfalt somehow. She was most curious about his physical prowess. Her client's research team immediately recorded his duel against Terrowin Merek and his participation in the battle royale activity. Around the years after his freedom from slavery, he must've obtained some sort of magic or a special power. His physical capabilities were beyond human.

"He was able to move despite the poison in his body... And now he's fully recovered and went straight to training," Kawasaki thought while lying on her back in her bed. "He's really different from the previous targets I've killed. Isn't there a legend about mage's devoted to martial arts? What if...?"

"He's perfect..." A distorted and evil voice from a female spoke within her mind. With a blink, everything around her completely changed. THe beds, furniture, and the inside of the cabin was replaced with a dark space filled with red glowing bodies floating around her in a circle. Curvaceous and skinny, muscular and overweight, young and old, large and tiny, human and other various creatures. Surrounding her were bodies in vast diversity that were intertwining with each other while flying. Some melted together into an unrecognizable flesh of abomination. Many twisted together until slowly their flesh was ripped apart and turned to nothing. Every horrific and grotesque imaginings of the flesh could be seen here. Then, a shadowy figure appeared in front of the light blue-haired assassin. It seemed to be a woman based on how curvaceous the body was. It had horns similar to Kawasaki's but larger and sharper, and a long demonic tail. The shadowy being had no hair on its head and its teeth were human clean white. Its eyes were a glowing light red, as if they were gems. The demonic silhouette smiled seductively while licking her own lips. "His body is a something to die for. Devour him..."

"It's been months since you talked to me and this is what you want to say?" Kawasaki clicked her tongue and glared at the demon while standing up. "I'm not devouring anyone. What about him that's special? He's just some guy with abnormal strength. Take that away, and he's just as normal as everyone."

"FOOL! Can you not see his body shining in mana?" The demon's question piqued Kawasaki's curiosity.

"What do you mean?"

"It's the reason he's faster, stronger, BETTER than any human I've seen throughout the thousand years I've spent in this world of mortals." The demon said the last adjective with growing hunger and how noticeably uncontrollable that hunger within her. "Do it! Just the touch of his skin will satiate a quarter of our hunger!"

"You mean 'YOUR' hunger," Kawasaki corrected her with hands on her hips. "Explain more about his body."

"In terms of taste, it would be comparable to the luxurious dinner of those ignorant royals and nobles. Rich and-"

"I mean what the fuck is all that 'body shining in mana' you're babbling about."

"... Unlike any beings, whose magical energy just spewing out of their bodies no matter how much they try to conceal it, that man's magical energy is molding around his body."

"I am not following."

"Imagine this: Having mana is like being wet in water that will never dry. Concealing your mana is like wiping yourself using your bare wet hands. No matter what you do, the water will keep dripping out of your body. In contrast, that dark mage's magical energy isn't leaking at all. The water on him never dropped as if it's stuck and just flowing on his body, outlining every muscle, every skin and area. I guess the better way to describe is that it's as if he's wearing a full-body armor of mana that amplified his physical abilities."

"An armor of mana..." Kawasaki mumbled while holding her own chin in thought. "Is there any other people who can do that?"

"Hmm... Can't say," The demon said while shrugging her shoulders, but Kawasaki could tell the demon pretended to not know anything. The next words from the wicked being was what the assassin expected. "If you at least lick his skin, then my hunger will be satiated for a while and I will tell yo-"

"Nevermind, I'll just ask him," Kawasaki interrupted with a twitched eye, irritated by the demon's desire. "Get me out of here."

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" The demon laughed, but it wasn't the only one. The red bodies floating around them were laughing along with it. Kawasaki became more annoyed by the demon's laugh and wished to kill it, if there was an actual way. As she clenched her fists, the demon spoke. "You cannot escape the inevitable as long as I remain within you. After all, in order for curse magic to be twice as effective, you neet to perform the ritual with that dark mage."

"I don't need to do that damn ritual." Kawasaki said with gritted teeth. "Your curse spells will work either way-"

"If you can manage to hit her once. You remember what that woman in red armor said? Out of a thousand knights, only three hundred had return to that 'wonderful' capital'. You understand how to do numbers, right? That monster took down seven hundred fully experienced knights all by itself. What chance do you have?"

"Shut up, that doesn't tell anything."

"Deny all you want. Keep that up and you will surpass all humans who are in denial for decades. If you fail, the one to blame is you. Besides, my hunger is now growling. Satiate my hunger, or I will take over your body and then your soul for me to be satisfied."

"Wait-" Before Kawasaki could refute, everything disappeared into nothing but black. She a soft sensation on her back and the smell of nature returned. Her eyes opened and sat up while contemplating on the demon's words. She scratched the left side of her head in frustration to the predicament, but when she touched her horn, it felt strange. Her left horn felt larger than usual and rougher. She touched the other horn, but it remained the same. She looked around and grabbed her dagger to look at her reflection. What she saw grew the anger within her even more. Not only her left horns were bigger, but the color of her left eye turned light red and her entire left side of her teeth were sharp as if it belonged to a monster. Her grip on the dagger tightened as her right pigeon-blue eye changed into emerald green, and veins appeared on her forehead. With gritted teeth, she grunted in anger and shouted. "I SWEAR I'LL KILL-"

"Kawasaki? Hikigaya?" A knock on the door and a familiar voice of a woman stopped Kawasaki from shouting any further. Before she could do anything, the door was opened to reveal it was Hiratsuka and the doctor visiting. Hiratsuka looked inside the cabin while standing on the door and saw the light blue-haired woman on her knees and only showed her back. "Kawasaki?"

"..."

"Where's that dark mage?" The doctor asked while looking around with narrowed eyes. "He better not be doing anything reckless. I wish he'd do it so my misery will end. He's close to recovery, but that doesn't mean he's allowed to move. I hope you break your own bones, dark mage. If he gets injured again, I'll kill him. Please be alright..."

"Can you fix that constant shift in emotions?" Hiratsuka asked while turning her head to look with a twiching eye at the doctor. Hiratsuka sighed and just approached Kawasaki until she stopped and noticed the grown horns and facial features. "What happened? Is the demon taking over?"

"What?!" The doctor shouted in bewilderment.

"It's fine," Kawasaki answered while standing up. She looked at the two adults in the cabin while being indifferent to this. "I just need to do something and it'll quickly be suppressed."

"Is there anything we can do?" Hiratsuka asked while the doctor nodded. Kawasaki wondered in her mind about the teacher's intention. She didn't know what exactly was the relationship between Hiratsuka and Hikigaya, but it could be possible that it was closer than a normal teacher-and-student relationship. As for the doctor, it was a complete mystery. Kawasaki could tell she was no ordinary doctor. Yesterday, when she visited here to check their condition, Kawasaki thought of a way to escape from the cabin and the entire predicament if she felt like it. But every time that thought came to mind, the doctor would release her magical energy for some reason. Later, Kawasaki figured it was for intimidation, as if she was daring the assassin to try escaping. The magical energy was powerful. Too strong for a mere doctor in an educational institution to possess. Did she have the magic to read minds? Perhaps, but what mattered was what did these people truly want with her.

"No, I just need Hikigaya to do something and everything is solved," Kawasaki answered with so little detail to explain the solution. "You don't have to worry."

"What's Hikigaya gonna do to suppress that demon?" Hiratsuka asked with a scrutinizing gaze towards the light blue-haired assassin.

"He just needs to follow simple movements and patterns while I do the rest," Kawasaki answered again vaguely while lazily waving her hand as a gesture of her indifference. "Are you his overprotecting mom or something? It's annoying how many questions you'r-"

"I'M NOT OLD ENOUGH TO BE A MOM YET!" Hiratsuka shouted in rage and suddenly strangled Kawasaki. She tried to break free, but the strength of the academy teacher was beyond her capability.

"STOP! STOP!" The doctor intervened and tried pulling Hiratsuka away from the blue-haired assassin. After a few seconds of struggle, she finally succeeded and forcefully pulled the enraged teacher away from Kawasaki, whose face turned red from suffocation. The three ladies breathe heavily while resting on the wooden floor to rest. Kawasaki just sat on the floor while Hiratsuka was on all-fours. Meanwhile, the doctor just lied prone and appeared to have less life in her eyes than the others. Hiratsuka was the first to stand up as she had the most stamina out of all the ladies present followed by Kawasaki.

"Can we... stop now...?" Kawasaki begged between exhausted breaths.

"Not if you... tell me... what this ritual is!" Hiratsuka refused.

"What, you trust me enough... to think I can help you with... that damn monster... So why don't you trust me on this one?!"

"Yeah? Then why... did you trust me enough for you to tell me your true name, huh?" Hiratsuka rebutted with another question and it caused Kawasaki to freeze in place. Why did she accept her so fast and willingly? Because she was desperate. And Hiratsuka figured that out because she knew who Kawasaki Saki was. "Kawasaki Taishi, and Kawasaki Keika. And you have two more younger siblings living in Alexander City."

"How did you know...?" The blue-haired assassin asked in bewilderment.

"A certain someone is rather close to your dear little brother, or rather close to 'Takanashi Taishi' and that someone told me a lot about him. From his studies to his problem with a cold and distant older sister," The teacher answered while approaching her. "Here, their surnames are now 'Takanashi' to hide that they are related to you."

"Why did he...?" Kawasaki mumbled, but the teacher heard that and explained.

"It's not that he told that person about your circumstances directly. He said this," Hiratsuka cleared her throat and imitated his voice. " 'I actually have an older sister. She's really amazing, but she rarely visits us. I recently learned about her job, and I'm worried she might get hurt. I hope she would stop and just study in the academy like the rest of us.'. So yeah, and there's your little sister, Keika, who looks a lot like you, sooo~..."

"That idiot," Kawasaki mumbled while massaging the bridge of her nose. "Whoever that person is must be a girl. No, it's definitely a girl. Only a girl would turn Taishi into a cute, gullible idiot. Who's that girl?"

"She sure sounds a lot like that siscon..." Hiratsuka thought. "Now that I think about it, those two share a lot in common, aren't they? It's like they are meant for each othe-. Stop, Hiratsuka Shizuka, stop right there. If there is an actual possibility that him OF ALL PEOPLE has more chances in having partners than me, then his days would be numbered by my fists. No, no, no. That possibility is even less than none. Even if there is Yuigahama and then there's this girl right in front of me, who has huge compatibility with him, it's impossible for him to achieve a romantic relationship. It's really a sad fact. It can't be helped. I guess I'll have to step in to be his-"

"Shizuka? Shizuka!" The doctor called out to her, interrupting her thoughts, and looked around. Kawasaki was staring at her with a confused expression as she arched an eyebrow.

"Sorry, Matilda. Now where was I?" Hiratsuka stared at the ceiling with a hand on her chin. The doctor named Matilda sighed with shrugged shoulders while shaking her head at the teacher's behavior. After two seconds, Hiratsuka snapped her fingers and spoke. "Oh, right. So, yeah, after figuring that out, I don't see you as some scary mercenary who does her job assassinating as a living, but just a girl with problems, that's all. You're just the same as that other troubled kid."

"The 'same'? Hehe..." Kawasaki chuckled at Hiratsuka's view of her. "That dark mage and I are different. Way too different. Does he have a demon inside him that forces him to do terrible things just so that demon won't take over?"

"But you can't deny the similarities between you two," Hiratsuka argued. "Rejected, ostracized, and forced to be distant from your families because of either your status or predicament. And yeah, you two are different from each other, but the difference is that Hikigaya is growing by being with others while you just stayed the way you are in the dark. Your desperation in searching for a method to remove that demon inside you is getting into your head. You realized you can't solve this on your own so your desperation led to accepting my offer in helping you. You trust me, I trust you, but to a certain extent. After all, you're still the assassin hired to kill my favorite student. So tell me: What is this ritual that you need Hikigaya for?"

---

Hours later. Somewhere in the middle of the woods.

"The Enziel spell is getting better..." Hikigaya said while breathing heavily and holding his knees to keep standing. On the ground was his dirty and chipped sword he dropped after fighting against two Vanatorbrids for the sake of his training. The two flying beasts were circling above him as if they had found their meal. One Vanatorbrid flew down, attempting to kill Hikigaya with its claws. However, he grabbed one of its legs and slammed the Vanatorbrid to the ground three times, leaving huge craters, and finished it with a left punch to its right eye. The other Vanatorbrid flew towards him and used its mirror-like beak to reflect the sunlight to his face, blinding him. It then tried to crash beak-first into him, but Hikigaya jumped away to dodge. The moment the Vanatorbrid flew up before it almost crashed onto the ground, its head was met with a jumping axe kick as its skull cracked, left eye popped out with blood splattering in the eye socket, and its neck snapped from the impact of slamming to the ground. Hikigaya closed his eyes, raised his face to the sky, and took deep breaths to regain his normal breathing pace. He quickly sat on the ground and thought about his progress. "It took a lot of mana in me. And the conditions I placed in this spell are huge disadvantages in battle. If I use this against that damn miasma earth magic bitch, she would kill me. It all depends on how I fight and cooperate with others."

After taking one last deep breath, Hikigaya slowly stood up, grabbed his sword, and walked forward.

"Ah, the sun is setting? I didn't realize it was almost nighttime." He mumbled while walking and staring at the sun. He thought about his little sister and wondered if she was doing fine in Farquharson, as he hoped she wasn't scared or depressed because he wasn't with her. He wasn't worried about her safety since he heard the city's defenses were very strong. That would also mean Yukinoshita and Yuigahama were safe as well. "Yuigahama... I still didn't have that proper talk with her. I hope we can end all this so she and I could manage the problem between us. And there is that thing with Yukinoshita. She caused all that mess with the typhon, but I still don't know how. What did she do to bring a monster like that here? What was she even doing in the mountains in the first place? If I manage to survive the upcoming battle with that freak, and I will, I'm gonna have to ask her a lot of questions... Hm? Isn't that Matilda-san and... Hiratsuka-sensei?"

"DAMN IT!" Hiratsuka shouted in anger while exiting the cabin with Matilda already outside, waiting for her with gritted teeth. The doctor covered her own face with her right hand, also appeared to be angry. He guessed Kawasaki must've done something to offend those two ladies as he approached them. The sounds of his footsteps on the grass reached their ears as the doctor and teacher looked at the dark mage.

"What's wrong, Hiratsuka-sensei?" He asked, and it made Hiratsuka's rage grew larger, but she held it in while closing her eyes shut. Hikigaya turned to Matilda and gave her a look that wanted answers, and the only response she gave was a pat on his left shoulder with an indifferent expression. No exchange of words from her as she continued her way into the woods, leaving the cabin. The teacher walked unsteadily as if she was drunk and Hikigaya wanted to reach his hand out to her in both worry and in request for answers. However, the moment he raised his hand, Hiratsuka suddenly hugged him tightly. Too tight for his comfort. "Again, what the fuck is going on?"

"Hikigaya..." Hiratsuka let go and clenched his shoulders. "No matter what happens, don't let her get into you."

"I seriously don't get what you're on about." The dark mage looked at her with a scrutinizing gaze. "Is it Kawasaki? Did she say something that pissed you off?"

"There's that... but... but..." The teacher stuttered as she struggled to speak, but after a few seconds of silence to build up her resolve, she leaned her head on his shoulder and whispered. "Be careful, alright? No matter what happens, stay strong."

"... I will..." Hikigaya gave a simple answer, full of determination. "So it is about Kawasaki, huh? What is she planning to do with me? Could it be related to the demon inside her? Possibly. If so, then I have no choice but to go long with it. The curse magic Kawasaki wields thanks to that demon who chose her as its host is important in battling against that bitch. If this is something that involves that, fine."

"Alright... Take care." That was Hiratsuka's last words while patting his head and left. He was still confused, but he was sure his answers would be answered by none other than the blue-haired assassin herself. As night finally arrived, Hikigaya entered the cabin and saw Kawasaki sitting at the small wooden dining table that had various foods on top of it: A whole chicken, a bowl of potato salad, an apple pie, and a silver wine jug. Kawasaki looked at the dark mage, and he noticed that the left side of her face was more demonic. He immediately understood.

"Dinner is ready." She said indifferently, as if there was nothing wrong happening. Hikigaya wanted to point out her facial appearance, but decided against it and just went along with her act, thinking it was part of a method that could stop the demon from taking over or this was her way to calm herself before her end.

"Uuh... Right, just let me take a bath in the waterfall first. It won't take long." Hikigaya said while putting the sheathed next to his bed.

"What are you talking about? You look fine." Kawasaki said while looking at his person. He looked down and noticed how clean his body but his clothes weren't. The injuries he received from the Vanatorbrid disappeared as if nothing like that ever happened in the first place.

"Was it Matilda-san that did this?" Hikigaya thought and sat on the chair on the other side of the small dining table and stared at the food. "You cook this?"

"Matilda-san did most of the work, I just helped..." Kawasaki answered and grabbed a fork and knife.

"You're not good at cooking?" He asked.

"No... But.." Kawasaki pointed at a snack on a small plate. "I made these..."

"... Rice crackers?"

"Rice crackers... Look, I can only make plain food like this, alright?"

"It's fine. Let's eat." And with that, they began eating dinner together, though not before he changed his clothing. His attire had changed into a simple brown tunic and beige trousers. They ate in silence, savouring the taste of each food. Both of them didn't know how to describe the food aside from using one word: Delicious. Hikigaya noticed Kawasaki was staring at him for quite a while now as her right eye turned emerald green and the skin on her left side of her cheek turned dark red, continuing to spread to the neck and left temple.

"Hikigaya..." The blue-haired woman mumbled as she put down the silverware on the plate. "When you enrolled in that academy, what kind of expectations did you have back then?"

"What's with that question?"

"I just wanna know more about you. You can already tell the current problem in me."

"And so, you felt guilty and wanted to remember me for who I really am," Hikigaya guessed. "Well, I wasn't really expecting anything at that time. All I see when I looked at my classroom for the first time was the goal that I have to achieve, no matter what. I didn't care less whether I would make friends, put my effort into studying, or even attend to any class that bore me. In fact, someone just forced me into enrolling and I didn't have a say to that."

"Yeah, I knew that would be his answer in his own words," Kawasaki thought. "Anyone who didn't have a good childhood nor high enough status to stand next to others would have that kind of mindset."

"But, then again..." Hikigaya continued his answer, which interrupted her thoughts as she listened. "Looking back at it, now... There was that spark."

"A spark?"

"... A spark of hope that someone would look at me," His answer confused her until she understood what she meant. In the end, the dark mage in front of her was a human. A living being that couldn't stand loneliness. Perhaps even someone as strong-willed as he could become as vulnerable as anyone. While she was thinking about that, Hikigaya closed his eyes and remembered that moment on his first day at the academy when he revealed to the class that he wielded dark magic. Before he did that, he noticed one girl who stared at her differently. Rather than curiosity, indifference, or wearing a fake smile, she appeared to be stunned. He remembered how her eyes watered and how red her cheeks were. Back then, Hikigaya thought what he saw was wrong. That her stare was full of affection. However, when he revealed his dark magic and everyone panicked in fear, that girl shook not in fear, but in cheerfulness as she smiled before covering her mouth. "That was the spark, but as days went by, it all disappeared because I thought as nothing more than nonsense. Looking back now, she still remembered me after those years, huh? Even though our age changed our appearance, she was still able to recognize me... Damn, when this is all over, talking to her is gonna be harder than I would expect. Am I nervous? Probably..."

"Did that spark lead you to anywhere?" Kawasaki asked.

"No. After a few days of studying there, the spark was gone because I brushed it off as just pure insanity."

"Did the studying did that for you more than yourself?"

"As I said, a lot of those classes are boring even now. I would often sleep in the middle of a lecture."

"And yet, you were able to achieve the third highest score in the exam."

"Natural talent?"

"I want to say that is arrogant, but you're right. You're gifted."

"A shame we can't say that about my element, though."

"Dark magic, huh? It's really powerful and is versatile. I'd say it's one hell of a gift."

"Weren't you showing your animosity to me two weeks ago because of my element?"

"That was before I got to know you more besides your background. And that was part of my job, so no hard feelings."

"Oi, what kind of background did they put in there?"

"The simple stuff like age, gender, where you study, though it didn't mention to where your house is. Strange."

"And I like to keep it that way."

"Hiding some shady secrets in your house?"

"We all hide secrets in our house and in any place we can put in."

"True, but you're really good at hiding your tracks so no one can ever follow you home."

"Aside from dark magic, I'm pretty good at a lot of skills too that I doubt I would use my element often or perhaps never. Though, there is no way such a time could happen."

"And if there's a time that you hate your dark magic and not use it, you still got that weird, abnormal strength and your Enziel magic. Your capabilities still hold your chances of becoming a knight."

"You don't need to tell me that. I'm more than aware of it."

"Speaking about your strength, what's the deal with that, anyway?"

"Hm?"

"What kind of training did you do to become so physically strong? Or is there some kind of artifact? Potion? Herb?"

"Probably training, but I don't know much about how I got this..." He answered while staring at his palm. "It just... sort of happened, and that's it..."

"So, even you don't know."

"I couldn't figure it out, even now. I just went to the conclusion that the struggles I had shaped my body to this. I just told myself this was all because of my hard work."

"Hmm~..."

"Now it's time for me to ask you a question: Why did you become a mercenary?"

"Money, that's all there is to it."

"Money for what? For who? Is it all for yourself?"

"... I have four younger siblings. All of them live in Alexander City," Kawasaki admitted the truth and explained. "My parents weren't really great at taking care of us, so when they were away from the house, I told them to grab clothes, food, and whatnot to escape the village and reach here. Initially, we were doing fine despite the issues in earning money, though it was enough to buy shelter and plain food like bread. One day, my youngest sister was sick. It wasn't an illness that could be cured with herbs and potions. We didn't have enough money to seek help from a doctor. And so, during my desperate need to earn money, a demon suddenly possessed my body. I was just in the middle of the woods hunting beasts to sell them until my entire body was in pain and moved on its own. My vision was clouded, and I heard sinister voices in my head. After what felt like forever to me, it stopped and when I opened my eyes, I realized I feinted in the middle of the forest until the next morning."

"So you got unlucky and encountered a demon, huh?"

"Yeah, I found a lake nearby and looked at my reflection on the water. I saw these annoying horns on my head and it felt like a nightmare. I tried taking them off, but they immediately grow back no matter how many times. I tried to enter the capital but as you can expect..."

...

"By the gods, is that a demon?"

"I never thought I'd see one here. Kill it!"

"Don't, please!" Kawasaki pleaded. "I need help! This de-"

"Don't listen to her," A knight interrupted her, never bother to consider listening to her reason. "Do not be swayed by her words and expressions of pity. Deception and seduction are few of a demon's common tactics!"

"Listen to me!" Kawasaki tried to explain, but an arrow shot her chest. Knights came out of the entrance and pointed their weapons at her. It was no use. No one was willing to hear her plea. Staying here would mean her death by their hands, whether or not she was innocent and just a victim. And so, with all her strength and endurance to the pain in her chest, she ran as fast as she could. The knights continued their relentless pursuit, even in the vast and dangerous forest. Strength faded in her body as she lost more blood from the chest injury. Her breathing became desperate as she vomited blood and she fell on the grass. Three knights who were chasing her finally caught up and surrounded her.

"Looks like she's dead."

"Take caution. We don't know what trickery this malicious being wields."

"She appears to be still moving..."

"Then cut off its head." As soon as the knight said that, Kawasaki stood up faster than a normal human, as if she blinked into a standing position. The knight behind her stepped back in shock, and she punched him in the face so hard and fast that his head splattered into mush. Blood splashed into the other knight's armor. As the two remaining knights were frozen in fear, it was Kawasaki's (demon's) opportunity. She bit her thumb and used the blood dripping out of it to draw a circle and write runes on her right palm. She raised the palm to them and spoke.

"CUr$e MAGic: NiGH+M re 0F SuRv!val." She cast the cursed spell to the two knights, and they screamed. Their screamed echoed through the forest, reaching the ears of many other pursuers. They arrived to where the horror was and saw the two knights fighting each other in panic with no regards for blocking or evading each other's attacks. In the middle of this was Kawasaki, who appeared to be even more different as the two horns grew bigger and both eyes became light red. Fangs bore on her teeth and the moment she saw the recently arrived knights, she drooled and wiped it with her hand. Fear suddenly took over many of them, while others pointed their blades at her firmly.

"Do not fret!" One knight said to the others that were shaken in fear. "Stand firm and-"

"NIghtMArE Of SurViVal."

With one phrase, the knights that were chasing her to kill were killing each other. Not only were they swinging their weapons and fists at each other, but they were also attacking with magic. Explosion everywhere as debris flew on all angles. Blood splattered together and formed red puddles. Even if one's arm was decapitated or the other was beyond exhaustion, none of them could stop fighting. It was as if they were desperate for something. Meanwhile, the others who weren't affected by the demon's curse wanted to kill her, but they were all too occupied in trying to stop their comrades from killing each other. All except for three of them.

"This will not end unless we behead that demon!" One knight shouted while blocking an attack from his comrade.

"I'm with you!" The other unaffected knight worded his support to the idea.

"Earth Magic: Terra Prison!" The third knight slammed his palm to the ground to cast an earth spell, and pillars of earth rose from the ground around Kawasaki. She didn't seem to be fazed by this action as she stared at them with growing hunger in her devilish eyes. The pillars of earth twisted together and shaped into a large cube, trapping the demon, and so the other two knights moved into the offensive. While keeping their distance from the Terra Prison, they used long-ranged spells with one swinging his sword and released an slashing projectile while the other raised his hand up to cast a lightning spell and fired a fork of lightning at the Terra Prison. Their attacks landed, and the prison exploded. A debris of rocks flew everywhere and the smoke from the explosion obscured the spot where the Terra Prison was, so the three knights couldn't see if they succeeded or not. The earth mage stood up and asked. "Did it work?"

"Most likely not, keep your guar-" In the middle of the lightning mage's sentence, a drop of blood flew to his left cheek. He turned to see the hole in the earth mage's chest as blood came out. The moment the earth mage fell, the demon was behind the swordsman and slapped his head into mush as if his head was nothing more than a fly. The lightning mage just stood still in fear as the demon began to approach him. There was nothing he could do. This was truly his first encounter with a malicious being. The closer she walked to him, more muscles within his body froze until he was unable to grip the spear as he dropped it on the ground. With one blink, the demon was already inches close to his face, and she grabbed his neck and slammed him to the ground, leaving a crater. He felt pain from the back of his head to the back of his shoulders. Unable to move, the only action he could do was to watch the demon sitting on top of him with a mush of flesh and blood floating above them. They appeared to be from the corpses and injuries of the knights fighting each other. The flesh and blood were circling around and shaped into a large ring with what appeared to be runes around it made of blood.

"CuRsE MAg!C: BINdinG FlEsH." She cast a different curse magic and as she put her hands on his chestplate, the piece of armor cracked. The magic circle of flesh above them glowed red as the chestplate shattered and the fabric of tunic on his chest torn open. Upon touching his skin, her hands sunk into his chest as if that area of his body turned mucilaginous. The demon opened her mouth wide as the lightning mage's skin moved on its own and separated itself from his body. The skin flew and slithered on her arms and sank into it. Some of the slithering skin flew into her mouth. His muscle followed suit, the blood, and then his bones. His cries were left unheard. No one would be there to save him from this nightmarish torment unless death was his only salvation. The demon was absorbing and consuming him until nothing was left. Not even a hair or the smallest piece of flesh. When she finished, the demon stared up in the sky and grinned in satisfaction. She licked her teeth, lips, her fingers and sucked them, savoring the flavor of human flesh with a smile. While the screams and sounds of death from knights echoed in the night, the demon expressed her joy. "After a millennium... I've finally tasted flesh once again..."

...

"A demon appeared out of nowhere and chose you as its host?" Hikigaya asked with curiosity.

"Yeah, I don't know where did it come from," Kawasaki explained. "Maybe, I just accidentally encountered undiscovered ruins or tomb? The forest is too huge to find some clues, and I was too worried about my siblings, so I had no choice but to work with a demon inside me. It took everything in me to get money. I had to steal from others, stayed in that forest for months for the sake of my siblings' safety, I even had to sell my body for prostitution. And finally, several months ago, I entered the mercenary business. From small missions like escorting people and cleaning up areas by killing monsters to the vast stage like assassinations, taking part in wars, and killing even bigger monsters. I prefer my job as an assassin since all I need to do is kill them quickly, though there were some annoying jobs like trying to poison the target and frame that person or fake the target's death as an accident or political propaganda."

"Hmm... Is it okay for you to tell me all that?" Hikigaya asked while biting a chicken leg.

"I don't want a misunderstanding between us, nor any kind of rifts," Kawasaki answered. "If it's you, I hope we can be friends..."

"Even though what you are about to do to me might cost that."

"Probably, then with the time we have left, let's enjoy our time as friends," Kawasaki said and raised her cup of wine. Hikigaya stared at her for a moment before he smiled.

"Yeah, I guess so." He raised his cup as well and clashed their cups as cheers for their friendship. "No lies, but she may be good at hiding it because of the demon inside her. No, I'm willing to bet on this 'friendship' of ours. She and I both share so much in common, it felt like a fateful encounter. Of course, I don't believe that... that much, at least. Whether this is a gift from the gods or a trick from a demon, it's up to me to see which is it."

After hours of conversation, midnight came. The right time for the ritual. Kawasaki bit her thumb and used her blood to draw a circle and write runes in the middle of the cabin.

"Come to the center with me." Kawasaki said with a serious expression and Hikigaya complied. As they stood in the center of the circle with the two feet closer to each other, it glowed red as she took deep breaths. "No matter what happens, just let me.. or rather let the demon do its job, okay?"

"Alright." That was the only response he gave before the ritual began. Fangs grew sharp on her teeth, her right horn grew bigger and sharper, and her veins appeared on her face. The color of her right eye changed from emerald green to light red. She gritted her teeth and chuckled, signifying that the demon took over her mind. She wore a big, eerie smile and stared at the dark mage with hunger in her eyes. She tackled him to the ground with surprising strength and speed, even his reflexes didn't help him in time to stop her.

"HAHAHAhahaHahAhAHAHA,"

"Nice to meet you too. You fucking demon..." Hikigaya said with a smirk while the demon was still maniacally laughing. She raised her head up while opening her mouth wide as if she was preparing to bite. This caused his instincts to alarm him and through pure reflexes, he raised his arm in front of him just in time to stop her bite. Their faces were inches close to each other with the only two obstacles blocking between them were his resistance to the demon's whim and the arm that blocked her mouth. Instead of letting go of his arm, she instead sank her teeth into its flesh as blood came out and she wore an ecstatic expression. Though Hikigaya felt pain from this, it didn't bother him since he had been through worse. With her teeth, she ripped the flesh from his arm and chewed it as it served as some form of food for the demon. After she swallowed, the veins on her face became less intense as some of them disappeared. The horns shrank back to its original size and her fangs shrank into normal teeth. The only thing it hadn't returned to normal was the color of her eyes as they remained light red instead of turning back into her normal eye color, which was pigeon blue. Those eyes stared at the dark mage who was calm throughout the situation. "Are you... you?"

"The ritual is not over yet..." She said as she leaned closer to his face without breaking eye contact.

---

Four days later. In the Farquharson in the Afternoon.

The clash between the monsters and knights in Alexander City would begin tonight. The evacuees became restless, praying for their city's victory. Some thought about returning to their home countries and continue businesses there. A halt in their business would cause issues. Impatience grew, especially within the nobles. Many of them were not used to sleeping in camp, nor did they favor of it. For days, the people would occasionally hear the complaints of other nobles over the most trivial things. This would often lead to an argument between the commoners and nobles, and it would almost escalate into a fight. The people who kept them in check were Lester Seerwind, Yukinoshita Hoshiko, Yuigahama Yuna, and a noble head named Mark Agafonov. It wasn't really an issue for them to ease the citizens (mostly because of Hoshiko's fearful presence), but it didn't stop both nobles and commoners from attempting to clash. Slowly but surely, they became content with this lifestyle, though some nobles forced themselves to be silent and let the tranquility in the settlement grow.

Yuigahama Yui was meditating in the open field with her Ziel puppet, Sablè, flying around her in his small form. For days, she practiced casting spells and commanding Sablè, and she succeeded in controlling him to a degree. The one thing she kept wondering about Sablè was his supposed 'sentience'. Yuigahama believed in the two science members' thoughts, and after that, she was afraid of him. Because of the events in the battle royale she was told by them, she didn't see Sablè as a dependable companion that can transform into an adorable creature. Instead, she saw the Ziel puppet as an unexplainable monstrous being disguising as a normal dog created from her Enziel magic. When she stayed in bed for a week after that incident, she tried with all her might to prevent Sablè from appearing and speaking in her mind ever again. She was that afraid of him. It was understandable since he hurt the professors and would hurt more people as well. She couldn't bring herself to even think about the Ziel puppet and tried to distract herself by reading books and talking to visitors. She wondered if that was what it felt like for Hikigaya. To hate and fear one's own magic. The worst part was he was born with it as well, which meant he would live as a dark mage until his end. However, he could just not use dark magic and live the rest of his life as a normal person. It wasn't that difficult of a task, though that would mean not be able to study in a magic academy because developing and practicing elemental magic was part of the curriculum.

But which one was better if one were to look at them on the surface: The pursuit of knighthood, even if it meant enduring constant hardships and hatred from others, and encounter death multiple times? Or the tranquility and bliss of being a normal citizen with the only problems were money and family?

Just by looking at the problems of the two choices, it was easy which one was better for a longstanding life. And yet, Hikigaya chose the former, regardless of the consequences. He'd rather take the challenge than having a peaceful life. She couldn't understand why he chose that. What kind of guidance did he receive to have a strong will? Of course, it was thanks to Wylfrid for taking care of him. And the longer Yuigahama thought about this, the more she saw the futility in that. Because what mattered was she was able to meet him again years after that fateful encounter in the forest. She wished to be like him. Unafraid of what obstacles would he encounter in the near future. Strong and uncaring of others' views on him. He only cared for his goals and what it required to achieving it, but he was still kind enough to consider others he deemed trustworthy and precious to him. As time passed in the True Science Institution, he began to see the joy of work with others, even though Yukinoshita gave him a tough time dragging him like a slave. And now, he had this change in behavior, especially when he interacted with her. There was this look he gave to her as if he was looking at a delicate creature he needed to take care. She felt happy and yet disappointed at the same time. Not at him, but at herself. She had to succumb to her fear, which resulted in letting her weakness linger. And on the last day of that week, his words were the very reason it enkindled her shame towards herself.

"Yuigahama, drop this damn act and think for your own future instead."

That was the sentence that saved her from the stagnant state of weakness. He brought her the feeling of shame. He said that to her because he was afraid that she was too weak to handle the dangerous world of knighthood, which meant for her she didn't have the strength to stand beside him. Not worthy to be with him. Of course, that wasn't what he meant, but it meant for her. She couldn't stand it. The way he looked at her as if she was such a small, frail creature. Shame grew even more. And so, she decided to solve the mystery behind Sablè and uncover the secret of its unnatural powers.

While meditating, she did think about another certain possibility: What if Sablè didn't have sentience, but rather, he was acting based on particular conditions and situations?

She looked back at all the things she had done with her golden Ziel puppet and tried to see which one was the answer.

"... Was it at the very beginning?" Yuigahama opened her eyes and stopped meditating as she shifted her entire focus on this thought. "Let's remember what I did. I just followed what Hiratsuka-sensei instructed us and did the Ziel puppet creation: I drew the magic circle: I said my incantations: and then Sablè is here. Now which part of the process could be the cause?... Is it my incantation that created an abnormal Ziel puppet? Hmm... 'As you stand and appear before me, my loyal friend, just your presence will protect my beloved. Through the farthest lands, the highest peak, and even the deepest pits, you will stand beside me at the moment of my call.'... That is my incantation. I did came up with that on the spot so that could be one reason. But it's too farfetched. What else?"

"An Enziel Spell requires a condition in order for the spell to work. The soul of a mage contains both desire and conscience. The desire is the spell you want to cast and the effect you intended to create while the conscience is the condition that brings consequence to a mage. This is to ensure self-control when using magic as many professors argued."

The words of one of her professors resurfaced.

"Conditions? That could be it. But, the Ziel Puppet Creation is more of a ritual than a spell. Then again, it IS an Enziel magic, so would that mean I created Sablè while unintentionally... Or unconsciously... placed conditions on him?" Yuigahama stared down at Sablè, who was resting on her lap. "If that's true, then what conditions did I put? And when did I put those conditions in the first place? Could it be when I was coming up with my incantation? If so, what-"

"Yui!" The voice of a certain blonde woman interrupted her thoughts and turned around to see Miura and Ebina approaching. "You've been training for days now. Getting stronger?"

"Yeah, I feel like it." Yuigahama answered with a smile. "I was practicing my magic in Sablè."

"S-Sable, huh?" Ebina said with a forced smile, obvious even for Yuigahama to notice. "Made any progress?"

"It's less in progress and more in figuring out how and why he behaves." Her answer caused confusion to her two friends as they looked at each other for a moment before turning back to her.

"What do you mean?" Miura asked.

"Let's just say I'm learning about myself through him." Yuigahama answered and it made their confusion grow.

"I don't see that flat high-and-mighty wench you've been training with anywhere," Miura said with a scowl while looking around. "She's not with you?"

"She went to a river nearby to practice her new water magic spells."

"Typical. So talented, yet using it to the most useless things." Miura said with crossed arms.

"Her water magic is strong," Yuigahama rebutted. "I don't get what you mean."

"Her water magic is strong as long as she found a river, lake, or whatever water she could find. So, the easiest strategy is to lure her away from any water nearby. It's that simple. She won her match in that battle royale because she got lucky to find a lake. If she didn't, then she would've lost."

"I don't know. Yukinoshita is strong in her Liberator magic too..." Ebina said while holding her own chin.

"What did you say?" Miura glared at her. "There's no way she could beat me in Enziel magic. I can do it better than she does."

"W-Why did it shift to a competition between them?" Yuigahama thought while watching Miura saying whatever she could think of on why she was better than Yukinoshita. Minutes later, Miura finally finished and drew a circle with runes on the ground. She sat at the center of it, which was a few feet away from Yuigahama and Ebina followed suit on the other side.

"You don't mind training beside you, right?" Miura asked as she wore a casual smile while putting four small candles around her. "I need to work on my fire magic quickly."

"Same, I want to learn more lightning spells." Ebina said while stretching her arms.

"Sure, I don't see why not!"

---

"That should do it..." Yukinoshita breathe in exhaustion as puddles of water were everywhere near the river. Her vision became clouded as she felt dizzy and had difficulty balancing herself. She had no choice but to lie on the ground and rest. "Two water spells: One original and one advanced, finally mastered... Next is Enziel magic."

"Ggrr..." The growl of a beast reached her ears and so she raised her guard as she stood up and held her sword. She looked around and saw the beast on the other side of the river. It had white fur with black stripes, strange bumps on its back formed in a straight line and shiny golden, sharp teeth. It stared at her as if she was prey, and she responded by simply lowering the blade. Because of the distance between them and the size of the river, she thought it would be impossible for the beast to reach her, but she was proven wrong as the white beast stretched its body and extended towards her. Yukinoshita raised her sword just in time to dodge the attack and cut the beast in half. Its stretched upper half with its head fell on the ground while the stretched lower half was swept away on the river because of its strong current. As blood came out of the sliced half, she stared at the beast in thought.

"A Streckweiss Tiger. I forgot it can stretch its body. A blunder on my part..." Yukinoshita walked away from the dead beast and lied down to rest once more since the dizziness hadn't faded. "Yuigahama-san is training on her Ziel puppet. It's dangerous, but nothing will happen if she stops using it. Sablè is a mystery, but not impossible to uncover... Strange. The thought of her training made my heart ache... why?"

---

Hours later, night arrived. Somewhere in the forest near Alexander City.

"It's time," Kawasaki said while wearing her usual mercenary attire: wore a black cloak, leather chestplate and pauldron over a grey blouse, and a mask that appeared to be an old woman's face.

"Finally, just when my patience started to crack." Hikigaya commented while wearing an attire different from usual once again: A black cloak; Black steel vambraces and pauldrons with a neck guard; A brown Orthello suede leather vest; A chainmail under the black tunic. He stepped forward and whistled. They heard bushes rustling and the sounds of large and quick footsteps. A massis wolf jumped out of the woods and barked at the dark mage in joy.

"How did you do that?" Kawasaki asked in bewilderment.

"I can tame beasts."

"I've never heard of someone capable of that..."

"Well?" Hikigaya hopped on the massis wolf's back as a mount. He reached his hand to her. "Hop on."

"... You really are full of mysteries." She sighed, accepted his hand and climbed on the beast. She put her arms around his waist from behind as she leaned on him while staring at the massis wolf. "This is the first time I see a black massis wolf. Its fur really changes in daytime and nighttime."

"You haven't encountered a massis wolf at night in one of your mercenary jobs?" Hikigaya asked.

"Not really. In fact, there aren't much job posters involving a massis wolf at all."

"Huh, it's not like massis wolves are endangered."

"I think it's because it's hard to even find a massis wolf, and if someone did, he won't come out alive," Kawasaki caressed its fur and enjoyed the sensation. She then gave something to Hikigaya which was a mask of a red angry wrinkled face. "Here, to hide your face."

"Where did you get this?" He said while analyzing the mask with clairvoyance. There seemed to be mana imbued in the mask which could mean it was an enchanted item.

"I made it." She answered while taking out the same mask that appeared to be an old lady, but this time it was pure black.

"Did you make your mask, too?"

"Yeah, I used human flesh and wood to make these. For your mask, I especially used your flesh."

"So that's why you suddenly asked to eat my arm yesterday," Hikigaya continued to stare at the mask, impressed at its magic. "What's the effects?"

"The same as mine: It grants protection to your face from attacks. I also added a feature that if anyone tries to remove the mask off your face, that person will die."

"Oi,"

"That depends on how strong is the person, of course."

"That doesn't make it any better." Hikigaya sighed and palmed his own face. "Mind teaching me how to craft enchanted items?"

"If we make this through alive, then sure," Kawasaki answered with indifference. "You started talking to me like we're close."

"Aren't we? I mean, we're friends, right?" Hikigaya scratched his cheek. "Or is your definition of 'friends' different from mine?"

"You haven't talked to me for three days after we did the ritual, and now you're acting like everything is normal."

"Anyone would feel awkward after that!" Hikigaya said with a blush. "Out of all the things I imagined what that ritual could be, that was not what I had in mind."

"D-Don't put the blame on me. It's your teacher's fault she didn't explain everything when I told her what the ritual was about." Kawasaki said with also a blush on her cheeks.

"You should at least ask me if she even told me about it!"

"I can't just explain how we're gonna do... that!" The longer they argued, the more red their cheeks had become. After stopping for a few seconds, Hikigaya wore the mask out of embarrassment and wished to shift focus to the upcoming battle.

"Let's just get this over with..." He said while caressing the massis wolf.

"Yeah..." Kawasaki agreed and wore her mask as well. "Learning to craft an enchanted item is hard, by the way... But, I think you can pull it off since you're an Augmentor-class mage."

"You think so?" Hikigaya asked.

"You're talented, so why are you having doubts about yourself?"

"Hmm... Well, hold on tight." Hikigaya rode the beast to run into the woods. They saw trekalins flying in the night sky in panic as if they had been disturbed. "Looks like it's almost starting."

"Yeah..." Kawasaki said while staring at the trekalins and holding the dark mage tightly.

"Nervous?"

"Of dying? Obviously. But, Alexander City is the only place I could think of a better future for my siblings. I'm willing to bet my life."

"I feel the same." As they rode on the massis wolf in silence, the stars above the sky illuminated the forest at night. It was a shame that a battle was about to take place, which caused them to ignore the beauty of nature. Hikigaya firmed his resolve that he would kill that earth mage monster for the sake of the capital. He cared little about the people aside from those he deemed precious to him, but if the capital fell, then his goal of becoming a knight would come to an end. The Villfalt Kingdom was the only place where he could study and train to becoming a knight, as they were willing to let a dark mage enroll. Other kingdoms would immediately deny him and quite possibly try to kill him the moment they would discover his element. This could be the only time and opportunity to end the mysterious monster once and for all, so he would use all of his strength until his last breath to cut its head off. After a few minutes, they had reached the location where they would meet Hiratsuka and other fifteen knights who were willing to partake in the plan. It didn't take long for the two mask-bearers to find Hiratsuka in her crimson armor talking to those knights.

"We're here." Hikigaya stopped the massis wolf a distant away from the group and the two dismounted from the beast.

"It would've been a grand entrance if we jump in there riding the massis wolf." Kawasaki commented.

"True, seeing them stunned would be satisfying, but I'd rather keep my friendship with beasts a secret." Hikigaya said and hugged the massis wolf before it left. "So, what's the story are we gonna give to them?"

"You and I are mercenaries working together, hired by Hiratsuka-san to help them kill the leader of the monster arm," Kawasaki explained. "That's basically our cover-up story."

"Sounds simple enough." The "two hired mercenaries" approached the group and Hiratsuka noticed them, and so she waved.

"Just in time," The crimson-armored woman said with both hands on her waists. The rest of the knights stared at the pair both in curiosity and doubt. The moment the pair was a few feet closer to her, Hiratsuka immediately threw a punch at Hikigaya in which he caught her fist in time. She glared at him with a twisted grin on her face as veins popped on her head. "So... how was it?"

"How was what?" Hikigaya asked, though he already knew what she meant. He just didn't want to share his thoughts on that.

"Don't play dumb with me!" Hiratsuka whispered angrily. "Did you enjoy that... 'ritual'? HUH?!"

"It was-" Before he could finish his answer, one male knight interrupted.

"Ms. Hiratsuka. Are these the hired mercenaries you told us?"

"Yeah, they are. One can use curse magic while the other is a dark mage." Her revelation about the pair's abilities caused the knights to gasp in shock.

"Surely, you jest," The knight glared at her. "Are you telling us that the hope of the capital and Villfalt itself lies at the hands of not only mercenaries, but two lowlives with disgusting magic?"

"Yes," She answered immediately without hesitation. "And whether or not you're on board with this affects that hope. So, if you back out of this or try anything stupid, the deaths of hundreds won't just be their fault. I'll make sure a noose is around your neck too. Understand?"

"Now, that's just frightening." Hikigaya thought as he witnessed the knights were silent from her threats. The knight who was arguing with her didn't seem to be affected by it as he glared back at her and approached the pair.

"I will say this: I refuse to cooperate with people who are weak or inefficient in battle. Alexander City is the heart of the Villfalt Kingdom, and I am willing to give my heart and soul for it. What I want to ask is, are you useful enough to complete the task you are given? Are you both trustworthy to serve the kingdom regardless of facing death?"

"For the right price." Kawasaki answered indifferently. Her answer made knight flinch in annoyance.

"Which one of you is the dark mage?" The knight asked, and Hikigaya raised his right hand in response. The knight glared at him while leaning towards him, their faces inches close to each other for the knight to intimidate. "If you cannot succeed in your task, I will personally behead you."

"I'll keep that in mind." That was the only answer Hikigaya could give before being silent. The knight clicked his tongue in irritation and walked away, but not before mumbling surprising words that Hikigaya could still hear from that distance. "At least that young dark mage has more boldness and temperament."

"He's a lot tamer than most people reacting to our powers," Kawasaki commented and noticed her partner's silence. "Something wrong?"

"That's the guard who tried to stop me from entering the nobles' inner wall." Hikigaya answered while remembering how that knight lied about not seeing Yuigahama Yuna's mana signature on the permission letter.

"Huh, how did you get him to take a liking to you?" She asked in curiosity.

"That's how he displays his liking to me?"

"Well, he prefers you than the 'mercenary' you, so..."

"Alright, you two. Follow me," Hiratsuka ordered the pair, and they complied. Hikigaya and Kawasaki followed the crimson-armored woman farther away from the group until they were far away from their hearing range. "Alright. In terms of efficiency in curse magic, what are we looking at?"

"More than enough," Kawasaki answered. "The uh... essence Hikigaya gave me are potent so-"

"Oh, that's bullshit! It's more than just 'essence', isn't it?!" Hiratsuka said in anger and seemed to be jealousy. "Out of all the demons, it has to be the Demon of Lust that invaded your body..."

"He is... not bad, I guess." The blue-haired assassin answered hesitantly with red cheeks behind the mask.

"Right... fine..." Hiratsuka sighed and clutched her own head in frustration. "I can't believe Hikigaya took adulthood before me! Him! These kids are too eager, I swear!"

"So, the plan is to use me as bait, right?" Hikigaya said. "And how am I supposed to act like it? Just show my face and she would chase me?"

"Yeah, that's basically it," The crimson-armored woman answered very quickly, and he stared at him in a deadpan expression, but they couldn't see it because of the mask. "According to the latest reports from our scouts, she is growing stronger by the day, bu we're still gonna follow the plan. You lure her into a trap and we will try our best to restrain and hurt her as much as possible. Either Kawasaki or I, or maybe both of us will deal the killing blow."

"And the monsters?"

"We'll be doing this the moment the knight army and the monster army to charge at each other. When that moment comes, you surprise her. Got it?"

"Yes," Both Hikigaya and Kawasaki agreed.

"Ms. Hiratsuka," A voice of a man caught their attention, and so they turned around to see the person in full-body armor.

"Terrowin Merek?" Hikigaya said his name in bewilderment.

"Yes, I'm glad we meet again, though I wish the next time will be a calm, less serious one." Terrowin said and laughed.

"What do you want, Merek?" Hiratsuka asked with crossed arms.

"I want to speak with Mr. Hikigaya alone. There is an important matter that I must discuss with him." He answered in an oddly serious tone.

"Hmm... There is time before the battle, so make it quick." Hiratsuka granted permission, and she left while Kawasaki followed her from behind. The dark mage noticed the way Terrowin looked at the blue-haired assassin as she looked back but immediately shift her head away from him. The two were finally left alone in silence. Hikigaya waited for Terrowin to speak as the third-year knight student closed his eyes in thought. After a ten seconds of silence, his eyes were opened and spoke.

"I haven't seen you for days. I suspect you are doing well?" Terrowin asked with his usual charismatic smile.

"Yeah, though, the first three days are... kind of difficult with her, but we became friends after." Hikigaya answered.

"I see, that is great..." Terrowin said while scratching the back of his head.

"Why are you here?"

"To battle, isn't it obvious? The king requested all third years of all academies to partake in the war. Those who refused would carry the shame of displaying cowardice."

"I see. Merek, do you and Kawasaki know each other?" The dark mage asked, which caused Terrowin to chuckle.

"Hahaha, as expected of you... Yes, I've known her since last year, but it wasn't really pleasant, I should say." Terrowin sat on a nearby rock while Hikigaya remained standing while listening to his story carefully. "A year ago, Ms. Kawasaki met my father in a brothel from another kingdom. He offered her to freely roam inside the capital but in exchange, she will be her 'personal maid' while she was in disguised, hiding her horns with an enchanted item."

"Is he allowed to do that?" Hikigaya asked. "I've heard about this polygamy with all those called 'concubines'."

"To marry her as a concubine is allowed as long as you are the noble head or the king of the kingdom. However, he didn't see her as such. To him, she was nothing more than her plaything that he just found on a whim. After that, he took her to our mansion and when he introduced her to us, I... was allured by her beauty."

"You were in love with her?"

"I didn't identify it as love at that time. Think of it as similar to being entranced by a shiny object. Anyway, my three brothers and I were accustomed by her presence after a month and one day, I discovered her and father... did that on the same mattress where he and mother sleep. The sight of that was engraved in mind. The way father touched her and savoring the pleasure, her... curves and exposed skin. That was when my mind snapped. As i found the perfect opportunity to be alone with her in the mansion, I threatened her, demanded her to indulge me in my bed."

"..." Behind the mask, his face remained indifferent to his story but deep within him, this bewildered him. There was no words he could think of giving. He wanted to listen to the story more to achieve a better understanding on Merek's nature.

"Very surprising, isn't it? Me? Threatening a prostitute, a maid to sleep with me? Hahaha! Such a thought would be so impossible, the entire world would laugh at its jester," Merek rested his chin on his hand. "But, during that time, my mind was at its lowest. No logic has formed, and I find whatever I could grasp on. She was one of them. After many nights, I discovered her troubles with the demon inside her, and there, she told me everything. I became a source to suppress the Demon of Lust by indulging Ms. Kawasaki in bed and in any places where no one would find us. The more I touched her, the love I have for her in my heart grew. By the time I realized this emotion, however, she began working as a mercenary and left the role of a maid. Surprisingly, my father accepted it, though I think he expected her to not last long without his power as a noble head. We've never seen each other since then... Mr. Hikigaya, is she doing well?"

"She was strong when she tried to kill me weeks ago." Hikigaya answered with shrugged shoulders. "So, obviously, Kawasaki's fine. I can confirm more by how cold she was and yet, still talked to me."

"I see... That is wonderful news," Terrowin closed his eyes and sighed in relief. "Hikigaya, did you do it with her?"

"Do what?"

"Did you hump her?"

"... Okay, there has to be a better word other than 'hump'. It just sounds weird."

"Okay, then let me rephrase: Did you also indulge her body?"

"... Yeah, not just to suppress the demon, but to bind each other in a contract."

"A contract?"

"A contract that both of us can prepare curse magic."

"Curse magic, huh?" Terrowin stood up. "If that is the case, then I'm content with it."

"You don't hate me for touching her?" Hikigaya asked while tilting his own head.

"No, because there is nothing deeper between you two. And that's it."

"You really love her, huh?"

"I do," Terrowin looked at him with determination. "And I'll give all of my strength to hold her hand in marriage."

"Good luck with that," Hikigaya said while shaking his head at the third-year knight student's ridiculous proposal.

"So, how was it?" Terrowin asked with a smug grin. "Embracing her naked body, feeling every curves and crevices?"

"It's... a novel experience, to be honest. It was like I couldn't control myself the more I felt that odd sensation. The demon inside her was still possessing her body, so she took the lead, but halfway through, Kawasaki regained control. She looked... scared, and ashamed of herself. It was as if the longer it went on, the more painful it was for her. And by mere instinct, I hugged her and held her hand with affection and comfort. It was terrifying and... addicting at the same time."

"Frightened and ashamed... I wonder if that was how she felt every time she slept with me..." Terrowin mumbled. "Addicting, you say? Does that mean you slept with her more than once?"

"S-She said so herself that we needed to keep doing it several times to get the demon stronger." He said in embarrassment.

"HAHAHA! Well, I-" Before Terrowin could jest him, the sounds of marching reached their ears. "It appears they have arrived."

"Yeah," Hikigaya said with his sheathed sword held firmly.

"After we end the battle victorious, allow my brothers to introduce you to some of the finest prostitutes in various brothels!"

"I don't need that!"

---

Meanwhile, in Farquharson.

The time for the battle in the capital drew near. Many more evacuees, both commoners and nobles, prayed for victory. The citizens of Farquharson did the same as well, praying for evil to be stopped and the knights of Alexander City would prevail. Despite the chaotic situation reached the ears of Villfalt kingdom, there were still travelers wandering around. Some of them were confident and had faith in the capital's strength while others thought the capital was done for, and so they traveled to Farquharson to begin business or live there as a substitute place for good marketing and benefits. The three knights guarding the entrance were inspecting their carriages, carts, and persons in case one of them had anything suspicious hidden. So far, there was none. The inspection was progressing smoothly as innocent travelers entered the city one by one. After letting the tenth carriage enter, the knights encountered a large white cart pushed by two horses and drove by a person wearing a black cloak with the hood covering the head and face. The knights inspected the cart and opened the curtain from behind to see several large pots with lids on top. The pots were half the size of an adult person and all of them were sealed with ropes. The two knights used clairvoyance to see through the pots and only saw liquid in various colors.

"These look like potions and elixirs..." One knight said while staring at through the pots with clairvoyance.

"And they're sealed tight..." The other knight said and both of them went back to the coachman who was being questioned by the third knight. "So what's his purpose?"

"A woman. She wants to enroll in the academy as a scholar to teach alchemy." The third knight answered, and the other two knights looked at the coachman to notice she was a woman. She appeared to have red hair, golden eyes, and purple lips. One was surprised, and the other was charmed by her beauty.

"Good evening, fellow knights." The woman greeted the two.

"Right, I see nothing suspicious she's carrying. The pots seem harmless." The knight spoke. "May I see the letter in which someone from this city granted you permission or approval of your job."

"Ah, yes. Here you go," The red-haired woman gave him a piece of paper with writings. He looked at its mana signatures with clairvoyance and wore a look of content.

"You can go."

"Thank you," The red-haired woman thanked them and drove the carriage into the city. After riding further away from the knights, she found a stable for the horses to rest and put them inside. After removing the leading the horses to the stalls with hay, she went inside the carriage and held a rope that was connected to all other ropes around the pots. When she lifted the rope, the pots floated and followed her when she pulled the rope while walking as if they were flying creatures on a leash.

"That's a very nice enchanted rope, ya got there." A civilian wearing a tunic and trousers said while caressing the brown horse's head. "Where d'ya get that?"

"On a village south from this kingdom," The woman answered with a smile. "The people over there are so kind. It's a very peaceful village with beautiful sceneries."

"Damn, I think I'm gonna visit there someday."

"Oh, you must. It is relaxing and brings a peace of mind after a good rest." After a small conversation, they said their goodbyes. The red-haired woman entered an empty house with no people or furniture. Despite having windows on the outside, on the inside, there was actually none. It was a different space. As she slowly put down the rope, the pots slowly rest on the wooden floor and she untied all the ropes sealing them. "Oh, dear. Oh, dear. They are so easy to fool. It seems they aren't aware that the pots were also imbued with mana and can only be seen through liquid. Because the mana is so small and the potions and elixirs I put in were strong, it was unrecognizable and is able to serve as a second layer of mana to hide what's really inside..."

As she removed all the lids, balls of smoke came out of the pots as if they jumped and landed on the ground. The smokes had skull masks floating on the top.

"Thirty shadow cravens. Each of them ate over a hundred mana pools from those knights in Alexander City. Killing the searchers served two purposes: One is to thin them out if it's possible; And two is to strengthen these shadow cravens to a monstrous extent. Now they are equal to a small army." The red-haired woman opened another pot and put her hand inside to pull out the same naginata that she stole after killing Himari. She spun and swung the pole weapon around until she felt comfortable with it. "The moment the monsters and knights clash outside the capital, we will strike this city from within."

---

TRIVIA:

1) The name of the city "Farquharson", is derived from the Gaelic MacFhearchair, which means 'son of Farquhar'. Farquhar is derived from the Gaelic word Fearchar, which means 'very dear one'. So, the name means 'son of the very dear one'.

And finally, another chapter done, and the final battle is about to start! Three chapters to go!

So... what do you guys think about, uh... THAT? I've been contemplating whether or not I should put that, but in the end I was like: "Ah, fuck it!"

Also, what did you guys think about Kawasaki's backstory on this one? Lemme know in the reviews!

Thank you for reading this fanfic. Please leave a review as your opinions will be helpful for making this story better.