Disclaimer: I do not own Highschool DxD or any of the references found in this story, nor am I making any profit from this story. All original Highschool DxD characters and references belong to their rightful owners, I just own the original characters and concepts that I have created myself.
"Sieg, wake up! Today's your first day!"
I groaned into my pillow before flipping my body over, checking the time.
"Lint." I began, "There's still have an hour left until we have to leave, why are you waking me up now?"
Lint had the gall to look offended at my question.
"Because it's your first day! How can you not be excited? You're finally moving away from all the boring stuff!"
She has a point. All we've done for the last five years were basic studies; even I was starting to get a bit annoyed at the lack of action these last five years. However, my wish for more sleep won out in the end as I pulled the covers back over my head, eliciting a growl from Lint.
"Oh no you don't! Not this time!" she ripped my covers away from me, forcing me into the cold embrace of the morning air. "Come on already! You too, Freed!"
An incoherent mumbling could be heard from the other end of the room. I could pick up the traces of annoyance, defiance and the small sense of resignation in my roommate's voice.
I tried to fight back but in the end, I had already lost the need to go back to sleep. It wasn't easy going back to sleep with Lint continuously coming over to annoy me until I got out of bed. With an extra loud and exaggerated groan, I got out of bed and forced myself to the restroom to get myself ready.
Freed entered the restroom right after I was finished as I began to change my clothes. We were given our new uniforms two days ago by the faculty members. They all shared the same appearance of buttoned, white vestments. The female uniform was a bit more different though; they consisted of the same white vestments but also a black skirt and matching shoes.
Lint didn't react at all to my stripping. I guess years of me sleeping in her room has given her an immunity to these kind of things. Of course, I didn't miss the subtle glances towards my stomach area. My training regimen has done wonders for me; I was already beginning to form a six-pack, albeit a small one, but it was still there.
Heh, a ripped ten-year old paints a funny image.
After Freed left the bathroom, he began to change his clothes while Lint and I just sat on my bed, talking and waiting for him to finish. After he was fully clothed and we were all ready, we left our bedroom and closed the door behind us before making our way to the cafeteria.
"Good morning." "Morning." Riel and Rion greeted us once we arrived at our usual table. They were easy to find considering how much their blue hair stood out.
Rion looked a bit tired, no doubt having stayed up again reading books while Riel looked as inexpressive as usual.
Breakfast was more lively than usual, mainly because today was the day that the oldest generation of Sigurd descendants would be officially inducted into the Exorcist Training Program. Every dining table in the cafeteria was filled with overly excited children, all showing each other their timetables.
Our table was just as loud as the rest of them, no thanks to Lint squabbling with Rion. The two of them just can't seem to get along, a far cry compared to her sister-like relationship with Riel. She still isn't used to being confident on her own but so long as one of us are nearby, we don't really have to worry about her.
Freed is still the same as always, quiet and prefers to analyse a situation before intervening. He's slowly starting to show positive signs of recovery; he smiles more often, appreciates more jokes and has begun to talk to other people, though he still holds himself back from speaking his troubles aloud.
"Sieg, why are you looking at me like that?"
"Now not, I'm in the middle of an inner monologue."
"What?"
"Hey Freed, Rion. Let me see your timetables." I asked with a mouthful of food, ignoring Freeds question.
"Sure." "Don't talk with your mouth full." Once again, I ignored Freed's admonishment as the two of them placed their plastic handouts on the centre of the table, and I in turn placed my own on the table.
For today, I had Magic Theory first, then Sword Training, Physical Training, an hour break and finally, Combat Training. I won't be taking any marksmanship lessons, since I can't hit my target without somehow managing to shoot myself in the foot, so I'll be focusing on what I can do: swordsmanship and magic.
Freed's timetable consisted of Combat Training, General Weapon Mastery, Marksmanship, an hour break and Physical Training for last. It looks like Freed is aiming to be a jack of all trades with the classes he chose to attend.
As for Rion, his timetable consisted of Marksmanship, Combat Training, Archery, an hour break and Physical Training at the end. It seems that with the courses Rion chose, he is mainly focusing on ranged combat.
Between each lesson, we're given a five to ten minute break with the last break being the longest, thus used for lunch. The last session finishes at 3:30 PM, leaving us with two and a half hours before we have to be back at the Institute.
All of the exorcists in training are given a timetable that consists of two core classes: Combat Training and Physical Training. Each session lasts an hour and a half, and we get a ten minute break before moving to the next one.
Physical Training is exactly what it sounds like: training our bodies. As for Combat Training, we're going to be training with each other or have an instructor go up against us. They'll be teaching us how to use weapons, CQC, battle strategies, etc. Basically, anything that can help us in a fight against human and non-human opponents, and at the end of every month, we'll be holding a small class tournament to assess everyone's skills at the same time, as well as determine the class ranking.
My ranking in the class is obviously going to be number one because I'm obviously amazing and you can't tell me otherwise.
Anyways, Combat Training and Physical Training are the only two classes that are mandatory. Between those two classes, every trainee is put into another class depending on their personal choices. I have no idea how well I'll do in regard to Holy Scriptures, the main magic theory of the Church. I know that I'm good enough to use magic without blowing myself up but that's only with human magic based on calculations. Faith powered magic is a completely separate matter.
Oh well, I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.
I have one session of Sword Training and Magic Theory a day, every day of the week except for Sunday, with each session lasting for an hour and a half, sometimes two hours if the trainees can still go on.
As soon as we finished our breakfast, we all got up, said goodbye to Lint and Riel and left the Institute, ready for our first day of training.
It didn't take us long to arrive at the training facility. Freed, Rion and I bade each other farewell before making our way to our respective classrooms.
I had arrived early, leaving me with time to choose my seat for the year. Once again, I chose the seat in the top row, all the way at the back of the classroom. I suppose five years of sitting in the back has rubbed off on me, I feel uncomfortable when I sit anywhere else at this point.
I waited quietly, watching as my new classmates entered the classroom one by one. If I was going to spend an entire four years with them, I should at least look for anyone who'll stand out. So far, I haven't seen many noteworthy individuals; I could count them with a single hand.
I pulled out my Elder Futhark notebook once more. Ahh, my old friend. How I've missed you, you're the only one I need in this world~
And now, it's time for innovation! I cackled like an evil scientist, having begun to think on how to improve a destruction rune and turn it into a fuel air bomb, and simultaneously scaring the group standing near me. I can already see my reputation falling down the drain but oh well.
It had only been ten minutes when there was a sudden clamour at the classroom entrance. I looked up from my notebook, seeing the cause of said clamour being a girl. Long blonde hair, bright blue eyes, a calm smile plastered on her face. She was the textbook definition of popular.
"Jeanne? As in, the Holy Maiden?" The classroom was filled with murmurs as everyone's attention was focused on Jeanne. She flinched, her smile slightly faltering before she put it back up again. Ah, so it's one of those situations, huh? They only want to be friends with her due to her connection to Joan of Arc, hence a connection with the upper-echelon of the Church.
"That's right, I am the inheritor of the spirit of the Maiden of Orléans. Please treat me well."
The classroom became louder with her introduction, students rushing forward to try to meet the so-called Holy Maiden. So this is Jeanne, huh? She really looks like her canon counterpart, but more cuter. Maybe it's because she's still a kid? Kids are cute after all, but not as cute as Lint and Asia.
Lint and Asia are the cutest, fucking fight me.
Gremory Household...
"Sirzechs? Is there a problem?"
"No, everything is fine. I just feel the slightest sense of... anger?"
Sitri Household...
"Serafall, what's wrong? You've hardly touched your plate."
"I don't know why but I feel kind of... provoked?"
I could see that the waves of students desperate to meet her was starting to grate on her nerves, though she did a good job not showing it. I suppose that as a Holy Maiden, she can't show those kind of feelings, huh?
What a sad existence.
Thank god I'm just a test-tube baby-wow. I never thought I would ever get to say that.
"That is so sad. Alexa, play Despacito." I muttered under my breath before giggling like an idiot.
Luckily, she was given a moment of respite when the instructor entered the classroom, forcing all the student to go back to their seats. I was putting away my notebook when a voice suddenly made itself known beside me.
"Hey. Move your bag over."
I turned around with a slight glare, ready to scare off my visitor when I paused. As soon as I noted who it was, I let out a resigned sigh. "Alright." I answered after a couple of seconds, lifting my bag from the empty seat beside me and placing it on the floor.
Svanhild of the Volsung series sat down next to me with a slight huff as she crossed her arms. Just like the rest of the Volsung series, she had black hair tied back in a ponytail and red eyes.
"So why are you sitting here when there are empty seats everywhere?" I asked, having never lifted my head from the table.
"Does it matter?" she shot back with a raised eyebrow. I gave her a deadpan stare before she sighed. "We Sigurd descendants should stick together, at least, that's what I think." At this, she stared down at the clamouring students with a slight frown.
She must have felt my stare as she began to slightly fidget in her seat with clear discomfort.
"... You're shy, aren't you." It was less of a question and more of a statement, one that was confirmed by the girl in question when she suddenly blushed a storm in embarrassment. Even if she seems more mature than the rest of the first generation, she's surprisingly easy to read.
"Shut up! You're shy!"
"There there, it'll be alright now." I consoled as I began to pat her head. She momentarily froze before scowling and smacking my hand away with a hiss.
"Alright everybody, get to your seats. Class is about to begin." a female voice rang out. Turning to the front, I saw that our new instructor had already entered the room and was standing in front of the board.
Our instructor was wearing a nun outfit, complete with a pair of sharp glasses adorning her face and a cross hanging around her neck. "My name is Kiara D'Aiello. You are to address me as "Professor D'Aiello" or just "Professor", and in return I shall be your Magic Theory instructor for the next three years. I'll be starting with the roll call before I gauge your magic potential. After that, the lesson will start."
As she began to call out the trainees' names one by one, I laid my chin on the table as I stretched out my arms. Looking over to my right, I could see that Svanhild had a small smile plastered on her face, one that was matched by my own. We were both looking forward to move onto the next level after five years of studying back at the Institute.
"Svanhild!"
"Present!" Svanhild replied. Her name got a couple of curious gazes sent our way, most of them calculating. Looking down, I could see Jeanne's eyes showing the same curiosity.
"Siegfried!"
"Here." I replied, raising a single arm in response. My name seemed to gain some recognition in the classroom as a murmurs were being traded.
After Professor D'Aiello finished the roll call, she put the list of names on her desk and stood in front of her desk. "Alright, now I'm going to need everyone to come to the front one by one." she announced, pulling out a crystal shard from nowhere. Seriously, where did that come from? "This crystal has been used for years by the Church as a device to measure one's magic power, and it scales by number. The higher your number, the greater your magic potential, with the highest being 1000. Now, please line up in front of the desk and we can begin."
The students quickly got up and rushed forward, eager to discover their potential for magic. It was times like these that I hated sitting in the back but oh well, the middle of the queue isn't that bad. Svanhild was standing right in front of me, having rushed forward with me, while a couple of students-the less confident bunch who didn't want to make a big deal out of it-were making their way more slowly and sticking to the back.
"Place your hand on the crystal and we can begin." Professor ordered. The student at the front-I think his name is Gunther?-had a shaky smile on his face as he rested his hand on the crystal. The crystal began to hum, releasing a weak glow as the counter continued to increase before stopping at 152.
"152? Not bad. That's a higher number than I would have expected from a newbie, especially someone who just opened their Magic Core recently." Professor D'Aiello mused before sending him back to his seat. Gunther pumped his fists in the air as he made his way back in a good mood. The rest of the standing students were beginning to look a lot more nervous now, no thanks to Gunther's high score.
"Next!"
The rest of the students placed their hands on the crystal one by one, but the scores weren't as impressive as the first. There were a couple of students that reached over the 100 threshold but the rest were all below it.
Finally, it was Svanhild's turn. She strode forward confidently, a calm look on her face as she placed her hand over the crystal. The counter instantly began at 50, rather than from the start. It continued to rise higher and higher until finally settling for 310, earning a chorus of gasps from the spectators.
"240? That is an impressive number for a beginner. Rather than just using magic, you have the potential to become a fully fledged Magician." she fixed Svanhild with a calculating gaze before giving her an actual bona-fide smile. "I expect a lot from you this year Miss Svanhild."
Svanhild thanked her and made her way back to her seat as the next person was called forward. "Next!"
Oh, it's my turn.
I took a step forward towards the crystal. Now that I'm standing here, it's a lot more nerve-wracking than I thought. Everyone was staring at me, waiting to see what kind of number I would produce. I could already hear my classmates dismissing my score, having already decided that I'm going to follow Sigurd's path of pure swordsmanship.
None of them know that my Magic Core has already been awakened for the last three years, do they? I wonder what score I would get with a three-year old Magic Core.
I placed my hand on the crystal and winced as the number jumped straight to 100 before steadily climbing and reaching 200.
300.
400.
500.
I turned around, a shaky smile on my face as I took note of the way everyone's jaws dropped. I removed my hand when the crystal finally reached a stop at 512. Looking up towards the back, I could see Svanhild's eyes widen at my score before turning into a more motivated expression.
Ah great, now I'm going to have a rival. This is starting to feel like an anime trope.
"You, how long has your Magic Core been awakened for?" the Professor asked, a small semblance of surprise painted on her face though she hid it quite well. She looked satisfied at my answer before gesturing me to go back to my seat. "I'll be expecting a lot from you as well, Mr Siegfried."
I trudged back to my seat as my classmates were still staring at me with quiet shock before Professor D'Aiello cleared her throat, focusing the attention back to her.
"Now, let us continue." As she spoke those words, she gestures for the next person to come forward. There wasn't anything amazing about the scores, most of them bordering the 100 threshold.
Finally, it was Jeanne's turn. She walked forward, showing some signs of hesitation before placing her hand on the crystal.
As soon as her hand made contact with the crystal, the counter instantly jumped to 300.
It only continued to rise rapidly after that. 400. 500. 600. 700. It has finally hit it's limit of 999 before exploding gloriously in a shower of crystals.
Pure silence.
A quick glance at the culprit herself showed that she wasn't hiding her displeasure at the... expected result?
D'Aiello cleared her throat, snapping the rest of the students out of their stupor before gesturing for Jeanne to go back to her seat.
For some reason, she didn't comment on her performance like she did with the rest of us.
Strange.
Another crystal was brought not long after. The rest of the scores after that were nothing much, all of them being less than 100. Of course, nobody expected anything amazing after my performance. By the time they were finished, we had used twenty minutes of the lesson, leaving us with an hour and ten minutes. I stretched my left arm across the table and rested my chin on the palm of my right, listening to the Professor as she began her lecture on magic. I already know the basics but it doesn't hurt to listen anyway.
As she began to explain about the existence of the Magic Core, I felt an elbow lightly hit my side before I turned to Svanhild, who had a questioning look on her face. "You've already began to use magic?" she asked. I didn't see any harm in sating her curiosity so I nodded in response. "For how long? Who taught you? What school of magic?"
"In that order: three years, self-taught." to answer her last question, I raised my finger and began to draw a single rune.
"Runes." she blinked, and I was happy to confirm it with a nod. "When did you have time to learn magic?"
"You would be surprised at what kind of books you can find in the Institute library."
She stared at me for a bit longer before turning back to face the front. I also faced the front of the classroom and paid rapt attention to my first lecture on magic.
My first lesson on magic was a bit boring if I were to be honest. I had already started earlier compared to everyone else so I already knew most of the basics, and all we went through today was the absolute basics of our Magic Core and training methods.
Right now, I had a ten minute break before I go to Sword Training, my only personal choice. At least I'll be getting two lessons everyday on swordsmanship, and not balance it out with marksmanship. Svanhild had already gone her own way, most likely to her next lesson, while I had gone off to find Freed and Rion.
It didn't take long for me to find the two of them. Combat Training uses the training rooms for their sessions, which is also shared with Sword Training, and Physical Training is right next to it.
I caught him just as he left the training room, still in his outfit. Freed was wearing a simple white t-shirt with his name plastered on the front, a grey track suit bottom and a pair of black pump trainers. Rion had also entered the hallway wearing the same outfit.
"Freed! Rion!" I called out, gaining their attention. Freed's eyes widened slightly before switching to a look of...pity?
"Sieg..." Freed began, "When did you say you have Combat Training?"
I raised an eyebrow at the tone of his voice, the resignation to be exact. "It's my last session. Is there a point to this question?"
Freed didn't answer. He just placed a hand on my shoulder and shook his head before dragging himself away to the changing rooms, leaving me to deal with a cold feeling forming in the pit of my stomach.
"He refuses to elaborate any further." Rion added with a frown.
What happened to him?
"Alright Students, form a line against the wall!"
We all did as we were told and lined up against the wall. There was a total of thirty or so students standing against the wall, all wearing the same outfits consisting of a white t-shirt with our names plastered on the front, grey track suit bottoms and a pair of black pump trainers. The training facility was pure white no matter where you were to look; just a large white room with a viewing area located near the top.
Our instructor was a middle-aged man with black hair slicked back, and wearing black vestments. All in all, he looked like a mob boss. Just give him a black fedora, a cigar and a black long coat and boom: we have ourselves an Al Capone after his Holy Church update.
"My name is Ewald Cristaldi and I shall be your sword instructor for the duration of this year. I would like to first state that this will not be easy." He fixed us with a slight glare to emphasise this point, "You are all training to become protectors of humanity against dark forces that prowl this world. As such, the Devils will not be your only enemies; there will be many more such as the Vampires, Youkai, Fallen Angels and many more. It is not an exaggeration when I say that many of you will die. Knowing this, will you continue to persist?"
The students looked a bit uneasy at this point but stayed regardless, earning a nod of approval from Ewald.
"Very good. Then I shall teach you how to combat evil with the sword." He picked up one of the wooden swords that laid on the ground before continuing his speech, "During my sessions, the sword shall be your main focus. I shall hammer everything I know into the lot of you. It will be harsh, it will be painful and it will be tiring, but it is what you signed up for. As such, I do not want to see complaints of my teaching methods, is that understood?" he fixed us with another glare, earning multiple nods.
"Very good. Now, all of you come forward and pick up a sword."
All the students moved towards the pile of wooden swords and took their own weapon. It was a bit too light if I were to be honest, which makes sense if we're going to be using Light swords. Now that I think about it, are Light swords heavy? For that matter, does Light even weigh anything?
Questions for later.
"Does everyone have a weapon?" he received a chorus of nods before continuing, "Good. Now, I'm going to show all of you a couple of stances with the sword. I'll have you show the same stances and see what I'm working with. Choose any one of the stances you feel most comfortable in." He began to get into a couple of stances, holding the sword in either both hands or switching to a single hand.
I tried testing out a couple of the one-hand sword stances but none of them felt right to me. Is it because the sword were too light? No, that's not it. It feels more like I'm not balancing properly. Looking around, I could see that most of my fellow students had already chosen their stance with only a small handful still deciding on which stance is right for them.
"Warrior Siegfried, is there a problem?" I turned around, only to meet the face of Ewald Cristaldi inches away from my own. He had a stern look but there was also some curiosity towards my plight mixed in there.
"Just one." I replied, looking down at my sword before returning to him, "None of the stances you've shown feel right to me. It's as if there isn't a-"
"Proper balance?" He cut in with a raised eyebrow with... amusement?
"Y-yes sir." I confirmed. How did he know? Ewald just went back to the sword pile and picked up another weapon before throwing it at me. I caught it with my left hand and instantly saw the change. So that was the problem then? The reason for me not having a proper balance is because-
"A natural dual-sword wielder." Ewald read my thoughts with a nod, "You aren't the first student I've had who turned out to be a dual-wielder. He had the same problem as you just now when he was still in training." At this point, his face took on a resigned expression. "Unfortunately, I am not a dual wielder as I only use one sword, thus you will have to ask him to teach you in your own time."
"What's his name?" I asked. It was simple curiosity on my part, curiosity that Ewald was happy to sate.
"Yaegaki Masaomi, a full-time Exorcist currently stationed in Vatican City."
Yaegaki Masaomi? As in, the Exorcist who falls in love with Cleria Belial? If he isn't in Japan at the moment, then that means he hasn't met Cleria. That also means that I don't have a lot of time before he's killed to uphold the status quota between the Factions.
I had better find him as soon as I can but until then, I should be focusing on the now rather than the later.
I got into a couple of stances with a sword in each hand, looking for the right one before I put one sword down. I can practice dual wielding in my time; right now, I should use this session to focus on wielding a single sword instead. I chose the most comfortable stance I could find, even if I didn't like it, and began to work on it. My arms were positioned in front of me as I held my sword using both hands. A simple stance but the most comfortable one I could find at the moment.
Ewald came over to check our stances one by one, correcting them as he went along by smacking them into place with his sword. When he came over to me, he looked me up and down before smacking my legs. "Widen your legs, otherwise your balance will be disrupted." he ordered. I complied immediately as I widened my legs; it's best not to anger the man who was smacking you with a wooden sword.
Then he smacked my hands, eliciting a hiss from me as my sword nearly fell out of my hands. "Your grip is weak. Tighten it or you will lose your weapon." Once again, I followed his order and tightened my grip, ensuring that my sword wouldn't fly out my hands again. He looked me over one more time before looking satisfied and moving to his next victim.
What a demanding man.
I left the training room with a groan, massaging all the sore areas on my body. I didn't bother changing my outfit since I was going to have Combat Training next. For the rest of the session, we had our stances constantly corrected until we reached a satisfactory level in Ewald's eyes. By the time we were finished, our bodies had been riddled with injuries. Even after we left the training room as a large heap of pain and misery, Ewald looked at us with a smile that only promised more when we came back.
This entire lesson was just an introduction to sword training, thus it was just going over the basic stances and such. Seeing as how we're all beginners, we made a lot of mistakes, and Ewald was far too happy to correct our stances.
I met up with Freed quickly, seeing as how Marksmanship and Sword Training were located near each other. He looked quite happy when he left the training grounds, the complete opposite of myself who couldn't walk without aggravating my wounds.
"Where's Rion?" I groaned once I made it to where Freed was stood.
"He's still inside the changing rooms. He should be coming out soon." Freed replied before frowning at the sight of my pathetic self. "What happened to you?"
"Sword training. I'm telling you, that man is a sadist." I replied with a grunt. My answer seemed to set off something strange in Freed as he actually snorted.
"You haven't seen nothing yet."
Hmm?
Before I could ask him to elaborate further, we were interrupted by the sound of footsteps coming out way. Rion had finished changing and left the changing room looking like a corpse.
"Umm... Rion? Care to explain what hap-" Freed suddenly placed his hand on my shoulder, forcing me to turn around and face him.
"We don't talk about it." He commented, no. He ordered. And with that, he began to walk away with Rion Room in tow and myself following him, asking him what he meant.
During the rest of our ten minute break, Freed refused to elaborate on his words no matter how much I begged him.
As for Rion, he was unresponsive for the entirety of our break.
The cold feeling came back with a greater intensity.
We talked for a bit before the bell rang again, signalling for us to go to our next class. After waving Freed and Rion off, I made my way to the training grounds, which is located right next to the training rooms.
The training ground is basically the same thing but outside, where it focuses more on the physical aspect of training. When I got there, my instructor was already waiting for us. He was a young aged man with black hair and matching eyes. He was just doing his stretches while waiting for the rest of the class to arrive. He looks like a calm man, I think that this is a nice change of pace compared to Ewald.
"Alright everyone, it's time for Physical Training!" our instructor roared. No, seriously, he actually roared it out at the top of his voice. Who the hell said that he looked like a quiet guy? "My name is Lorenzo D'Aiello! You can call me Instructor D'Aiello or just Mr D'Aiello! Before you ask, yes! My sister is in charge of Magic Theory! Finally, I'm going to be your Phys Ed instructor for the year!" he pumped his fist in the air and, I shit you not, proceeded to get into a Power Ranger pose while screaming at the top of his voice, "IT'S TIME TO GET FIT!"
You can't make this stuff up.
"Yeah!" A small cheer could be heard at the back of the room, followed by "Shut up Nero", a smack across the back of the head and a cry of indignation.
"Let's begin! To start off, I want everyone to stretch your muscles! After that, you'll run around the grounds with me at the lead! Come on, let's go!" We spent the first five to ten minutes stretching our bodies before Mr D'Aiello began to run, leaving us all behind. We chased after him and kept at a steady pace, not wanting to use up all of our stamina too early. I was running somewhere near the back, conserving as much stamina as I could. It's times like these that I'm thankful for having built up my stamina at a young age.
Early planning paves the way to success after all.
We ran for about ten minutes before Instructor D'Aiello decided to kick it up a notch. He increased his speed and looked back to see some of us struggling. I was doing relatively okay and so were a couple other boys, but the rest were beginning to slow down already. I made sure to keep up with Mr D'Aiello at a steady pace, not wanting to waste all of my stamina this early into the lesson.
"Alright everyone, that's enough!"
All the students were happy to oblige as they collapsed on the ground, out of breath. Lorenzo just shook his head in disappointment but there was a glimmer of approval for the boys who weren't out of breath. "You get a two minute break before we move on!" he announced, earning a couple of groans from the downed students. In the end, they complied to his words and used the two minutes to gather their breath back.
"And now, we're going to do a hundred push-ups! LET'S GO!"
A chorus of groans could be heard from the training grounds for the duration of the session.
"Finally, food!" I cried out as I entered the cafeteria. After an entire day of being smacked by a middle-aged man with a stick, followed by being chased by an over-excited PE teacher, I was left a groaning, crying and hungry mess. As soon as Sword Training was over, I ran for the cafeteria at full speed.
When you have over a hundred siblings feeling tired and hungry after a training session, you can bet your youngest child that they'll have taken all the good stuff. Thus you need to get there before them and take all the good stuff first.
And if I pushed down a couple of my fellow classmates? Well, I made sure to do it in areas where the camera wasn't looking.
All's fair in a game of war, love and lunch.
Luckily, I managed to get to the cafeteria early so I was given a choice of the best lunch meals they had. I was starving after Physical Training so I just took as much I could, creating a small stack of food. I got some strange looks from a couple of the older students but did my best to ignore them.
"Excuse me?". I turned my head to the right to see a nervous Jeanne with a tray in her hands. All around us, there were students standing around awkwardly, having missed their chance to invite Jeanne to their tables. "Is it okay if I sit here?"
I looked around again, noting the various faces who were desperately shaking their heads, before looking back to Jeanne with a smile of my own.
"Go ahead."
Heh, I could hear the groans of disappointment. It seems that even in another world, I still love messing with people.
Jeanne took her place on my right and placed her tray on the table with a tired sigh. She took one look at my lunch and raised her eyebrows in surprise, no doubt at the amount of food I had procured.
"What? I'm hungry." I defended with a small frown.
"Sieg? Who's this?" I turned to the new voice to see Freed and Rion standing to my left, the black-haired boy looking curious while the blue-haired boy was staring at my tray with rapt attention, his eyes concealing a hungry desire to-wait a minute.
"I'm not sharing. Don't even think that I'll give you a single piece of my lunch." I growled at the boy. I got myself ready to fight for my lunch when his gaze didn't leave my tray.
"Sieg." Damn it Freed! I was about to have my first shounen moment!
"Freed, Rion. Meet Jeanne." I introduced them before turning back to the now amused Jeanne, "Jeanne, meet Freed and Rion."
"Jeanne, as in the Holy Maiden Jeanne?" Freed asked. Jeanne's smile slipped a bit but she held it together nicely. Ten years old and she's already perfected her mask. I don't know if I should pity her or be proud of her.
"Not that Jeanne, the Jeanne who makes a living as a rapper. Of course it's that Jeanne." I earned a frown from Freed and a very unmaiden-like snort from said maiden herself. I turned to Jeanne, watching with open interest at how she managed to compose herself instantly.
It's kind of sad how she manages to create such a perfect mask at her age.
"Well, it's nice to meet you." Rion said as he sat down, followed by Freed. Jeanne looked happy at the way things played out, for reasons I don't think I'll ever know, Freed was keeping some questions to himself and Rion was-
"Hey Rion, we going to have a problem?" I asked when I noticed the small glances he sent my, or rather, my tray's way.
Ten minutes later...
"And that's why Sieg isn't allowed to drink coffee anymore." Freed finished his story. Jeanne couldn't stop laughing throughout the entire duration while I was trying to murder Freed with my glare. "Oh stop glaring at me like that. You know perfectly well that it was your fault."
"Honestly, it's not like I had meant to send Wren to the Medical Bay." I admitted shamelessly with a small scowl. "Besides, you're making it out to seem worse than it really was."
"You didn't just send Wren to the Medical Bay, you sent over twelve members of faculty there. Twelve members, Sieg."
"They had to call in two high-ranking exorcists to restrain you, and even they came out with a broken arm and black eye." Rion added helpfully.
"Wren didn't even do anything, he was just standing next to you when you lost control."
"And I'm pretty sure you trautamised-"
"Traumatised." Freed corrected.
"Traumatised him."
..."Alright, so maybe it was my fault."
"You! You guys!" Jeanne was wheezing at this point, "You guys are the best!" I gave her a deadpan stare only to watch as her laughing bout increased in intensity.
The rest of our break went well after that. We talked some more and after finishing our food, walked around the training facility aimlessly.
When the bell rang, we had gone our separate ways to our last session. Jeanne and I both had Combat Training but just as we left, I swear I heard Freed and Rion mutter a prayer for our health.
"Alright everyone, I have some news for all of you." a member of the faculty addressed us during one of our training sessions. Our instructor hadn't shown up today for some reason; it was only one of the Institute workers and a female Exorcist.
Griselda Quarta watched over us like a hawk, nothing could escape her sight. When Griselda's gaze washed over me, I felt like I was being stalked by a predator, causing me to squirm in my place. Is this what Svanhild felt like?
"Your instructor, Father Michael, has been put back in the active forces, meaning that he won't be able to come in every day anymore. Fortunately, they have decided to send another instructor to teach you." he suddenly directed his gaze towards all of us. There was a strange sense of...pity held in it?
"She's a high-ranking member of the Church; you're all quite lucky that she took the time to come here. She'll be your instructor for the next couple of years while switching with Father Michael from time to time." He directed our attention to the woman standing next to him.
As he began to leave, he turned around and gave us a final message.
"Good luck, you're going to need it."
This time, I didn't mistaken the pity he held in his eyes. The look he gave us reminded me of the time when I was told my dog went to the butterfly farm and I would never get to see him again.
As the faculty member left, there were a couple of murmurs heard around the room. It looks like I'm not the only one who was feeling uneasy. From the way Griselda's eyes just narrowed, they have the right idea to be feeling uneasy.
In my case, uneasy doesn't even come close to describe what I was feeling at the moment.
"Freed! Rion!" I called out, gaining their attention. Freed's eyes widened slightly before switching to a look of...pity?
"Sieg..." Freed began, "When did you say you have Combat Training?"
"Where's Rion?" I groaned once I made it to where Freed was stood.
"He's still inside the changing rooms. He should be coming out soon." Freed replied before frowning at the sight of my pathetic self. "What happened to you?"
"Sword training. I'm telling you, that man is a sadist." I replied with a grunt. My answer seemed to set off something strange in Freed as he actually snorted.
"You haven't seen nothing yet."
Hmm?
"Umm... Rion? Care to explain what hap-" Freed suddenly placed his hand on my shoulder, forcing me to face him.
"We don't talk about it."
This... This is what happened to Freed and Rion.
"It's nice to meet all of you. My name is Griselda Quarta and I will be your Combat Instructor for the next four years." Griselda greeted with a smile. It was such a kind smile that I was reminded of my mother from my previous life. The sheer amount of warmth it held was beginning to bring old, pleasant memories back to the surface.
It's a shame that her smile greatly contrasted with her next act when she picked up two wooden swords.
"Let's all get along with each other, alright?"
Griselda Quarta is what happened to Freed and Rion.
I don't care what anyone says, Griselda Quarta is not a nun; she is a monster in human skin.
Just as she promised back when I first met her as a baby, she has decided to include herself in the exorcist training program whenever she had the time. She will be showing up four times a week, only for a couple of hours before leaving again. In that time, she would put us through what could only be described as torture.
In fact, I'm quite certain that it really was torture at one point. Last time I checked, chaining us up and dragging us around the courtyard does not focus on "building endurance". It was just a slaughter fest where every trainee was thrown all over the training room-wait, no, that's literally what happened during today's session.
If I knew what my actions would cause when I first met her, I would have choked myself to sleep.
Damn that Butterfly Effect! Damn it to hell!
All the students left the training room a whimpering mess, Jeanne and I included. There were no words exchanged, no usual friendly banter after a session or arguments breaking out. Just a cold, quiet silence with everyone having resigned to their fates.
I don't know who decided it was a good idea to have that she-devil near children but when I met them, I'm going to make sure to land a solid punch on them.
Somewhere in the main Vatican headquarters...
"What's wrong Cardinal Strada? You seem out of it today."
"I don't know... I feel the strangest sense of amusement for some reason."
Hmm? I feel like I just set myself an impossible target.
Ah well.
~Omake - The Changing Rooms~
The changing rooms were quiet, far too quiet compared to when the students had first arrived. Not a word was spoken between the students, nor could a breath be heard. The only sound that resounded throughout the changing rooms was the shuffling of the students as they changed back into their school outfits.
"So..." one of the students finally spoke up, breaking the heavy silence. His voice wavered for a moment, memories of Her resurfacing, but he steeled himself and carried on. "Griselda Quarta, huh?"
As the name left his lips, a shudder travelled through every single student at the same time.
"Yeah." the student changing next to him answered in a resigned tone. The silence returned to the changing rooms once more before another student spoke up. His voice was heavy, far too heavy for a child of his age.
"And we're supposed to have her for the next four years." he muttered. It was no more of a question than it was a statement, though there was hope in his voice. An innocent hope that someone would refute his claim and calm the raging storm in his heart.
Unfortunately, he was given the one answer he didn't want to hear from the other side of the changing room.
"Yeah." Silence filled the changing rooms once more before one of the students suddenly burst into tears.
"I... I don't want to be an Exorcist anymore!" Nobody made a move to console him. They were told at the beginning that being an Exorcist wouldn't be easy; they knew what they were getting themselves into when they were admitted into the Exorcist Training Program. They were going to be trained to combat the Devilkind, the denizens of the Underworld and mankind's biggest enemy.
They just didn't think that they would meet a Devil so soon.
"Yeah." a chorus of solemn voices resounded throughout the changing room.
And that's the end of Chapter 3.
Did you guys like the omake? I felt like it might be a bit early to write one but I already had the idea in my head, so I thought why not?
Anyways, this chapter was mainly an information dump. This is because I had decided to focus on Siegfried's school days for this chapter as well as using it to introduce a couple of new characters.
Jeanne has been introduced! I think that both she and Freed are going to be the hardest characters to write since we know close to nothing about them personally. We don't really know much about Jeanne before she joined the Hero Faction, and Freed was hopped up on whatever the hell he was taking right until the very end.
And yes, Nero Raimondi is in his Physical Training class. I'll make sure to properly include him after on but since this is just the first day, there's no need for Siegfried to go out of his way to talk to him.
I had decided on the Exorcist Training Program to be implemented as a school because I thought it would be more interesting. Besides, it hasn't been stated that there isn't a school for training exorcists. Right?
Lint, Riel and Xenovia aren't old enough to be enrolled yet but you'll be seeing the three of them begin their training in the later chapters.
Irina won't be a student at the school since she's being trained in England. She'll be making her appearance after Siegfried finishes his training here, so in four years. From what I remember in one of the DxD short stories, Irina finished her training at the age of 14. Thus, that's the graduation age that I've decided on for this story as well.
As for Asia, she isn't going to enrol since she isn't really training to be an Exorcist; she's currently on Holy Priestess duties which has nothing to do with slaying Devils.
And now to respond to the reviews:
[ALEX99999] I've already stated that Siegfried will not have a Sacred Gear. Maybe, just maybe, I might have Azazel give him one of his artificial SG's but the chance of that happening is pretty small. You don't really need a Sacred Gear to be powerful anyways. Take Vasco Strada as a prime example.
[DG2] Duly noted, I'll make sure not to repeat it again. Thanks for the advice.
[Sunfang193] Edelweiss? That isn't a bad idea to be honest; I'm not making any promises but I'll give it some thought.
[TehStorm] Don't worry, with the plan I have for Siegfried, he'll be more than a match for whatever hax level opponents show up. As for the 5 Demon Swords, well, I suppose you'll have to wait and see, won't you?
[Doortolight47] The DXD Brynhildr isn't the original Brynhildr, it's just a title thats passed onto the strongest Valkyrie alive. Thus, we shouldn't be seeing any yandere tendencies from her. In fact, she would probably jump at the prospect of having a boyfriend, seeing as how she's just as bitter as Rossweisse in regards to finding a boyfriend, even if she doesn't show it.
[Kensei-1085] I like to think that the Church isn't filled with idiots who would send two kids with shiny swords into Devil Territory to fight a veteran of the Great War. You have to remember that the Three Factions had to be careful in not kick starting the Great War again. What do you think would happen if they sent an army of exorcists into Devil territory? Hell, what would happen if you sent an army anywhere? It would be seen as an act of war, especially if they're sent into the only place on earth that's governed by the younger siblings of two of the Underworld's leaders.
... But yeah, it was stupid to not send a superior to watch over them. Hopefully, that will be changed in this story but you'll just have to sit tight and wait.
[Dxhologram] That's right. I always hear about how humanity is the weakest race but unlike the rest of the supernatural, they have an infinite amount of potential. It's one of the reasons why I wanted to write a human character in the first place. That's why Siegfried will remain human throughout the story, so you don't need to worry about him being reincarnated into another race or anything.
[fruitspunchsamurai-987] Right? I also don't think that Siegfried should wield Gae Bolg but some of the reviews said otherwise. To begin with, the only connection I wanted him to have with Cu Chulainn is with the Runes. Maybe I'll include a Cu Chulainn descendent? That would be a better idea in my opinion. We'll have to see.
[O] DXD Sigurd actually did kill Fafnir and ate his entire heart. I'm pretty sure that Odin had just revived Fafnir, though it doesn't tell you how he did it or how long he waited until doing so. Fafnir is also going to be an important character later on in the canon plot so I can't really have him killed again, and I don't think that Odin can just spam revive spells on dragons everywhere. That stuff takes time, you know? That's why Siegfried won't be eating his heart.