Chapter V. Cunning Demons

At Babyls Demon School, Harvest Festival Jungle - Block 1

In accordance to the previous chapter, Asmodeus, Sabro, and Lavande encountered the Dorodoro Brothers by surprise, who turned out to be overhearing their discussion regarding boss-level ingredients to harvest from massive and powerful beasts that no single demon can battle against alone. Niro asked if a small competition can be held in consent with the Misfit's warriors. Well, it's more of a race than a competition. If the Misfit trio wins, the Dorodoro Brothers with forfeit their approximately 1,200 points to them. But if they lose, Ichiro doesn't want them to hand over their points to him and Niro.

"See, we came here from the battlefield so we can take him back. That's it. Cross my wings and hope to fly." Said the latter.

"Man, we've been looking for him everywhere!" Exclaimed Ichiro, "Right? Right?"

Niro nodded before speaking again, "Yep. And once we found him, we were shocked to find out he was instructing some sheltered demon babies at Babylus. Except he wasn't teaching your fine demon lady knight. Kinda pathetic if you ask me."

"Hell yeah! It'd be a total waste, you know? A powerful demon like that stuck at school!" Exclaimed Ichiro as he struck a pose with his brother, "We're gonna become his number one disciples! Once we demolish you guys, we'll be taking our master back!"

"Sir Sabnock, Sir Asmodeus, is what they speak true?" Asked Lavande, "Thy noble master of combat refinement is also the master of them?"

"I can't be so sure if that is true, Miss Félin." Replied Asmodeus.

From the spectator's view, with Dali's commentary, Shichiro was bringing him and Suzy some Hell Gray Tea. A shame that he couldn't see his students (bar Lavande) in a heated discussion. Just then, Suzy noticed something in Block 2.

She was referring to that part of the jungle decorated with what appears to be tribal totems and torches. Wolf-like beasts howled in the presence of Keroli, who was seated upon a throne on a structure of ice. Two students nearby were in awe and fear of the sight. Beasts gathered in her rule and name, giving her and Kamui food offerings.

"Present your offerings in an orderly fashion." Said Kamui.

Kamui Caim's Bloodline Ability: Translation (Friendship)

He is able to speak with any species. If necessary, and as the name suggests, he can also transcribe beastial linguistics into demon language.

"This area is already under Lady Keroli's dominion." Said Kamui, to which the beasts understood, "You needn't worry. I give you my solemn promise that as long as you make an offering, you will not be harmed."

At the corner of her eye, Keroli took immediate notice of the two students watching the spectrum of grand imperial uprising.

"You there. Stop right now." She addressed and trapping them with an ice path, "I do not enjoy your loud quarrels. Violence is the weapon of bullies and cowards. And so... Remain here, my little ones. Do not eat them."

She referred to her Snow-King Fox and Blizzard Wolf in that matter of business. These beasts do no exist within the region of the venue, meaning Keroli has them under her command as familiars. Just one gaze from her sapphires is enough to stop her potential opponents from taking her points or companions away through any means. She clearly stood out while capable of keeping her dem-dol identity secret. She and Kamui spent days in training were described as pure hell as she had to summon beasts endlessly in conditions they detested, working as a dem-dol still as her soul screamed out of exhaustion. At first, the beasts didn't understand her cuteness and it was where she slowly lost her confidence. That was until she faced the weakness of having long-hone cuteness taken away from her, now the weapon she was given all along was found after leaving her adorable factors behind- all that is left is her beauty. In the spirit of that, her potential opponents bowed before her, Kamui vowed to follow her until the end, and her declaration to win the Harvest Festival with her performance.

There are three vital skills necessary to ensure survival over the 4 days of the Harvest Festival. Let's see what they are so you, too, can survival in the wild.

First Skill of Survival: Brute Strength

Using one's own power to take prey.

There are some exceptions of course, but in Block 1 and Block 2, the most powerful are already standing out.

Second Skill of Survival: Knowledge

The ones currently leading in Block 3 are the members of the Diabotany Battler.

Not all of the ingredients move. Among those immobile ones, there are some oddities that are hard to find. Those who have knowledge about the various plants have a huge advantage in searching for ingredients in the Harvest Festival.

Third Skill of Survival: Scheming

To exploit others, to be eloquent and skilled, to be a silver-tongued communicator, a diabolical strategist of epic proportions.

Yes, deceiving others is a cold and heartless game. And deceiving each other means inevitably, the craftier side wins.

While working with a group in guidance of a member of the Diabotany Battler, Schneider and Jazz managed to trick them into transferring points unto them as they brought their 2,000 points to the wrong reporting tower- located in each block with a professor to record their points after filling in their names alongside their ingredients harvested. You may think the same way as the poor misguided Diabotany student that stealing should not be counted in the competition, but you'd both be wrong because there are no rules against such in the Harvest Festival. The only rule that stands in disqualifying contestants is using unreasonable amounts of violence. This means stealing points or ingredients is not against the rules.

"Fortunately for us, the ones who think they've got the upper hand are always the easiest to fool." Commented Jazz looking at the ingredients stolen worth 2,000 points, "Their naïveté is so tragic."

"I totally agree." Concurred Schneider, "This is nothing compared to our long days in hell..."

Oh boy, looks like we're finally getting the glimpse of what happened in their training. Let's turn the clock to several weeks before now.

Several Weeks Ago

With Sergeant Furfur

After picking up Jazz and Schneider, Sergeant Furfur brought them to what first appeared to be paradise. They entered a club in the Netherworld, Valhalla, basically a playground for adult demons. A staff member took notice of Jazz and Schneider, to whom Furfur pointed at the former.

"What an amazing talent this little one has!" He said, "He can take any item without being noticed."

Upon hearing that, a customer asked Jazz to try that on him. He stood up and snatched the person's wallet using his incredible bloodline ability- Serpent Hands. Furfur then told the staff that Schneider is an amazing intellectual. A waiter then jokingly asked if Schneider could calculate the bar tabs for him. He certainly did not expect the student to complete them in a flash, down to the letter with complete accuracy.

"Excuse me, sir. I thought we were here for training." Said Jazz quietly to Furfur.

"But what do you mean?" Questioned Furfur, "You're creating adult connections. What better training could there be? This is also sneakiness training, you know."

As soon as Jazz understood the agenda, the waiter told him and Schneider to come over to have some social engagement with the patrons. A place for adults enables experiencing new conversations and forms of leisure. Surely there's nothing more thrilling for students than to play to their hearts' content. The two got to enjoy a bit of paradise and the real hell appeared before them once they woke up the next day.

Apparently, Furfur never said he was going to pay for any costs. He'll receive some change for handing over his students. Oddly enough as a sergeant, Furfur had a history of an unpaid bills in Valhalla. Instead of paying cash, he offered Jazz and Schneider up for hard labor. It was at that moment they realized being brought here for "training" and being asked to show off so they could be sold for a high price was all a trap. Sergeant Furfur had deceived his students through lying all along. So, what exactly happened to these two after being tricked by a bad adult?

That would be part-timer hell. The amount of time they had to spend working was three weeks. One chore after another. One step forward, and they had patrons trying to fight with them. One step back, and their boss overloaded them. Jazz and Schneider got to experience just how unfair the adult world is. But in the meantime, they were also seeing just how adults worked through this area. From greeting them to how they drink their beverages, everything is a calculated negotiation between adults. Thanks to that, the two Misfits obtained the ability to figure out what others are thinking.

One night, they were observing a game of Impish Roulette between a conman and a fortune teller. Jazz stated that if one thinks they're closer to victory, they are most gullible. But the biggest problem he and Schneider were up against was whatever Furfur was thinking about being most incomprehensible.

"You have some nerve showing your face while we're working..." Scowled Jazz.

"How about our usual?" Said Furfur, ignoring his student's angered voice. He flipped a coin into the air and it handed into his hands. Now the students had to guess in which side was the coin located in. They assumed right, but it was in his left hand. Sounds like a cliché game of where the coin hides would be a path to freedom if those two get it right.

After that night, Jazz and Schneider sat in the storage room. The former was still enraged by how did Furfur keep winning.

"He's definitely cheating. I know it, but I can't figure out how." He groaned.

"It's a true mystery." Commented Schneider.

"There's this huge garbage person in my family. No matter what I do, I'm completely helpless against him." Said Jazz, reminiscing on his elder brother, Rock M. Andro, "Because of that, I thought I've gotten really good at identifying who the trash is, but this guy's shadiness is off the charts. I never saw it coming. Actually, I knew he was shady, I just didn't realize he'd be really good at tricking us. I think that's the reason I'm so pissed. Because I should've seen it. That's not even the part I should be the maddest about."

"I get it." Said Schneider, understanding his viewpoint, "He's infuriating, to be sure."

Surprised that a near silent intellectual like his lion demon friend actually gets mad, Jazz heard from Schneider that he was also surprised that he ever spoke about his own weakness. On that topic, Jazz remembered that Schneider has never mentioned any weaknesses of his before then. They were completely off their rails because of Furfur, which Jazz found utterly amusing.

"Knowledge alone still doesn't tell you everything, does it?" Realized the lion, "That's why I'm now in pursuit of a specific goal."

He whispered that into Jazz's ear and that turned out to be the same goal he possesses.

The world of adults is full of new and intriguing games. Everything the boys learned stimulated them throughout three weeks. For another night against Furfur, Jazz came up with an expression throwing aside his usual character. Before it could make its way, Jazz pulled off Serpent Hands again and saw the coin would potentially land on Furfur right hand. He never said it had to be in his hand, thereby this is also not wrong.

"It took longer than we hoped, but we finally figured it out." Declared Jazz, "Rather than learning the secret behind your trick, we realized we had to trick you right back."

"We flipped the script." Added Schneider.

"But this ain't over by a long shot. We're just beginning. Watch out. Because one day soon, it'll be payback time and it's gonna be so big, you'll bawl like a baby."

Moved by how much effort the two made, Furfur actually burst out just like Jazz said. But they still got the answer wrong as it was again his left hand the coin was in.

"Your idea to trick me was clever and inspired, but that gives you more reason to figure out how I was tricking you." Said Furfur in acknowledgement of their growth, "The moment you think you have the upper hand is when you need to be the most careful, stupid? But if you just happen to win at the next Harvest Festival... I will be utterly delighted take you up on that challenge."

"You bet your ass we're gonna win!" Revolted Jazz.

"No objections!" Glared Schneider.

Back to the Present Day

Their progress so far has brought them far to seal their vow to soon become closer to victory against Furfur. Thanks to experiences, the Misfit Class has already made incredible impressions on Day One. All that remains there is Block 4, where Iruma and Lied currently reside. Opponents were surrounding their turf. What will there be to behold from the quartet? Are their adversaries going to make a striking heist upon this block? Find out next time!

~Interval~

Before the day of their strategy, Jazz told Schneider that they'll use the plan to take on the one-on-one battle against Furfur. But in his honest opinion, Jazz would've given up a long time ago on this, if he was to conduct it alone. Somehow, his friend's words lit up something inside him and he's super happy to have the chance to do those things with Schneider. But as he was blurting all of that out, the lion was asleep... with his eyes wide open. Looks like he's the kind of guy able to do that on a daily basis.