Chapter VIII-C. The Students I'm Proud Of
In Iruma and Lied's Area
"Iruma, we still have no points and the first day is almost over. If only I resisted Eliza's seductive advances, then we would have any haul to exchange for points." Lied sighed and lamented over what had happened to him and Iruma a few hours ago.
"Don't worry, Lied. We still have 3 more days so no fretting over lost points." Iruma reassured his teammate as he laid out some leaves on the ground to sit and sleep on.
Suddenly, the two boys heard loud rustling nearby. They looked around and caught a glimpse of two shadows rushing around them.
"W-Who's there?" Lied asked while trembling. "Sh... Sh... Show yourself!"
Suddenly, the two shadows, one a demon's silhouette and the other a silhouette of what appears of a bat, appeared in front of them along with a giant bag.
"Ahhh!" Lied screamed as he hid behind Iruma, "Stay back, my teammate here knows archery."
"Uh..." Iruma trailed before he realized who the devil-shaped silhouette is.
"Wait, Lied. That shadow on the left is Isabelle." Iruma reassured Lied.
"How can you tell it was her?"
"Is there any other demon here that wears a crown here?"
Isabelle waved over to them.
"Hm, point taken. But if that's Isabelle, then who is that?" Lied said before pointing to the bat silhouette next to Isabelle.
Lied's question was answered when the bat changed form into another familiar demon.
"Hey, guys." Acheron waved over to them.
"Never mind." He said. "What are you two doing here?"
"We were just lugging around all the stuff we got and we kinda ran into you guys." Acheron replied.
"Of course, there is still gonna be someone else stealing these from us so we might need help from you two since you're the only ones we trust." Isabelle added. "So what do you say? Willing to help us?"
Lied and Iruma looked at each other in uncertainty before they finally made a decision.
"Okay, we're in but on one condition: split the points you got from your haul with us by tomorrow. Deal?" Iruma said with determination in his voice as he stretched out his hand.
"Deal." Isabelle and Acheron replied as Acheron shook Iruma's hand.
Outside of the Harvest Festival Wilderness
Just next to the Infirmary Tent out of the competition was a smaller tent where Furfur, Raim, Vepar and Mr. Hat raised their choices of beverages as they took things up to hang around for the night. Even little demon blobs like Demonitors can drink for as long as they are not underaged. As the four started up, Furfur asked Raim to sit with him, to which the latter consented as long as he doesn't get clingy with her. Vepar asked Mr. Hat if he's like any alcohol, only to be refused for he was fine with tea. Furfur then asked Vepar if she cut off her drink with water, then being told her drink was on the rocks. This surprised Furfur as he assumed Vepar wouldn't be one to drink.
They were soon interrupted by Opera lifting the fabric doors with Sullivan, being alongside Kattrin, Bachiko, Captain Leonard, and Sir Sombre for the little party. The archer looked rather nervous as she was being pushed over to the others, but Sullivan said that she was watching footage of Iruma all by herself before he dragged her in. He was still on zero points, which was a major disappointment for her.
"Uh, I'm very happy to be surrounded by such famous demons. Truly." Stammered Bachiko bashfully.
"Hey, you're from one of the Three Great Heroes' families, too!" Welcomed Furfur, "Hang out with us, young lady!"
Bachiko agreed and shyly sat down a few feet away from the circle. Vepar wanted to offer Bachiko a drink, but she declined to take in any alcohol.
"Oh, well isn't that my feline electives student's father I see?" Asked Raim, "Sir Sombre Felín, Knight of The Shadows? Did I get that right?"
"Yes, quite the impressive gentleman of iron will we have here." Commented Mr. Hat. "And you must be the Elusive Hunter, Captain Leonard Gremory, I presume?"
"Yes, Mr. Hat. And I see that you are all here to cheer on your respective proteges too." Captain Leonard greeted as he sat down beside him.
"It would be my honor to spend the night amongst all great powers gathered here in the name of Babyls." Bowed Sombre before he sat in the circle.
"Would you like alcohol, Sir Sombre?" Asked Vepar.
"Ah, I certainly would fancy one." Nodded the knight, "Please, a champagne cocktail would suffice, Lady Vepar."
"And what about you, Captain Gremory?"
"Thank you but no thank you, Lady Vepar. I'd rather stay sober and drink tea instead." Declined the hunter as Mr. Hat poured a cup of tea for him.
"So, what were you all discussing before the six of us arrived?" Asked Opera to Raim.
"Why, the Harvest Festival, of course. What else?" Smiled the latter.
Mr. Hat then proceeded to turn on a television screen for everyone's viewing entertainment. First up was Keroli and Kamui, beast tamers of absolute refinement, scoring 1,514,200 points (originally 14,200 prior to Kaminari's deal).
"In my humble opinion, speaking as the taming instructor, Lady Keroli and Gentleman Kamui's beast-commanding team is extremely talented." Said the gentlemanly beast tamer, "In all the Harvest Festival's entire history, there have never been students with such command of magical beasts! Behold their nobility! Their captivating beauty!"
"As I recall, there was someone else who won before without harming the magical beasts, too." Said Raim.
"Ah, you must mean Professor Balam and Kattrin Abaddon." Added Sullivan, who knew Shichiro and Kattrin won the Harvest Festival by acquiring 55,000 points each on their own without unnecessarily harming plants or beasts.
"They fully used their vast knowledge of magical plants and scored tons of points. That sure takes me back. Though, in all fairness, he also had quite the talented advisor."
The Chair-Demon looked at Opera sipping on their tea, remembering that they were Shichiro and Kattrin's upperclassman during their student days.
"Yeah, I still remember my shared victory with Shichiro, even to this day." Kattrin nodded in agreement as she reminisced that event.
Now it was Raim's turn to show off her students. "If you're taming anyone, it should be the opposite sex and in terms of sexiness, my girls are the best!" She exclaimed after changing perspectives to Clara, Elizabetta and Yanna (footage from split screens showing their separate pathways) with the former pair at 9,400 points and Yanna's points with Kaminari at 1,516,000 points, "Nothing is harder than fighting back against your deepest desires."
"Ah, the technique you used during your Harvest Festival." Remembered Furfur, "It's pure delight."
"Well, there was one man whom I simply couldn't seduce, so I didn't win.." Pouted the succubus. "It still irritates me even to this day."
This made Bachiko curious to wonder who could that man be.
Vepar decided to butt in, stating that there are other students doing their best to get to the top, as well. That's where she switched up to talk boast about Picero and Goemon at 8,200 points.
"They created a magnificently sturdy castle and are hunting down magical beasts with incredible speed!" Cried Vepar in excitement, "Out of everyone in this Harvest Festival, these boys are using their bloodline abilities more skillfully than everyone!"
"It's a tough crowd, but having a base does give them quite a sharp advantage." Commented Mr. Hat.
"As the current leader of the Silent Snipers, I concur with what Mr. Hat said." Agreed Captain Leonard. "A strong foundation is something that could work in an organization's favor."
"I second that as Head of the Royal Guard myself." Agreed Sir Sombre, "Our sentiment of having a castle is the same as what Sir Hat has spoken."
And it looked as thought Furfur, despite putting his students through odd teaching methods, has something go say about Jazz and Schneider at 12,800 points.
"But still, you have to put on a good showing, despite your fighting skills... That's the best way to go." He said, "They sneak in quietly, use their delectable deviousness, set their sights on their prey, and make off with it. Of course, when you're that stealthy and cunning, you're gonna win. Hey, Sombre! What's up with your girls, huh?"
"Oh, that. Well, it's very difficult to keep trace of them as they chose to ally with different teams." Replied Sombre.
"Oh, that's right!" Said Raim, "He had three students and all of them went in different blocks!"
"I cannot say for certain what's in for Lady Ryūko." Added the feline knight, "She had been staying out of surveillance for the entirety of the day and night that I simply cannot find what is in her inventory for harvests. Lady Levina is with Lady Siegfried, so that 1,516,000 worth of points between them is already disclosed. My daughter, on the other hand, is still battling alongside Sir Asmodeus and Sir Sabnock."
"Aw geez, I wish I knew what she's up to." Said Raim, "That sexy little lady in dark apparel is simply a divine pick for her own ways of seduction, if she were with me."
"Hey, I heard she's devious and wouldn't let go of any prey until the last drop of blood." Commented Furfur.
"Hm, she's pretty interesting in terms of power level, too." Added Vepar.
"Well, her ability to have her audiences under her commands certainly pricks my interests, from what I hear about that young lady." Said Mr. Hat.
"From the way you all speak of the girl, I could say that Ryūko is a multifaceted prodigy." Captain Leonard concluded. "Now, why don't you all see what my students have been doing since the start of this annual school event?"
He then showed what Isabelle and Acheron have been up to. As of now, they have stockpiled 168,000 points due to everything they got.
"It would appear that my students have gained a lot of points because they did excellent stakeouts on their fellow students to steal what they find. And you should know, my son has just mastered the mental magic known as Shapeshifting. With it, he can turn into bat that's either normal-sized or giant."
All the other tutors were awed by what Isabelle and Acheron were doing.
"You seemed to train my daughter very well, Captain Gremory. An excellent job for you." Kattrin complimented.
"Why, thank you very much for your words of accolade, Lady Kattrin Abaddon." Captain Leonard received the compliment with politeness and genuine appreciation.
When it was time for them to make an overall judgement, Raim, Mr. Hat, and Vepar collectively thought their students would claim victory, but this turned into a big rivalry between them. The three begun to snap competitively at each other while Furfur was just laying on the floor as it all became a game of one-upmanship. Vepar yelled at him to stay out of it.
"Hey, hello? Anyone listening?" Called Sullivan, "You just keep bragging about your students and I'm tired of it, even though we have no idea what Ryūko's up to! There's Iruma's team, too! Have you forgotten about them? In my opinion, he's the perfect grandson! And the best choice to win the whole entire festival! If you need proof, JUST LOOK AT MY PRECIOUS IRUMA!"
And just like that, the only thing to be embarrassed about for him was the fact Iruma and Lied were on absolutely zero points while discussing something about the latter's predicament with Elizabetta moments ago. Raim got excited when they were talking about romance. Furfur could only laugh in humiliating that team, noticing how they seem to have forgotten about the competition. Raim was just enjoying the little love conversation between the boys as she used to be like that as a student.
"They are far too relaxed. Nobody has ever come back from the zero-point score after the first day." Said Furfur, "At this rate, they should probably forfeit. It's not like they'll actually win."
Just before Opera could politely refuse to think in such a way, Bachiko swiftly held his crop top as she stepped onto a crate in front of him enraged.
"What did you say?! Why does a pompous jackass like you get a thunderous beating on my Iruma like that?!" She yelled, "You know what? Someone bring me some liquor! We're about to have a meeting!"
Her breaking of silence shook the entire tent with such a heavy load on her voice while some were surprised that she can actually drink. And after that came around, the night went on with the adults having the time of their lives. Bachiko told Sullivan and Opera about things Iruma said. Of course, the former would be overly excited about it while his butler remained silent. The instructors then discussed about how certain tactics work on targets of sorts, while Bachiko and Robin had high hopes for their duo.
Everyone got through the first day to prepare for the next day by slowly drifting to sleep. Some may not be active, but wide awake to protect those they choose to fight alongside for the new dawn ahead. However, there were some who didn't sleep at all! That's right, everyone! It's not just Isabelle and Acheron who are switching sleeping and night watch every 30 minutes. Witching hours were also no time of rest for Asmodeus, Lavande and Sabro competing against the Dorodoro Brothers for a fruit of a boss-level avian beast! What's with this fiery contest between incredible forces of power? Stay tuned for the next chapter!
~Interval~
Lied woke up needing to use the restroom, but he was too afraid to go alone. While pondering whether or not to go off, Iruma was under his leafy covers. His pal assumed he was waking up, but he got frightened by Iruma acting like an anomaly or a something else scary enough to become something out of a horror movie. Iruma then realized who was he facing, having to explain that he used his intimidation pose out of habit after hearing a noise. Poor Lied nearly wetted himself out of the strange scare.
Just above them in the trees, out of sight, a hooded figure in shadows only looked down at the scene. They sigh as they looked on their hands.
"I... have been up for who knows how long... refusing to sleep in the afternoon when I had the laziest chances... await prey in my threads." They whispered, "This will only get worse from now. I don't have caffeine pills or other medications left after this to keep me up and alert."
Their hand covering the figure's mouth before taking out what appeared to be a akin to an elephant's heart and pouring some of the substance out to drink.
"Would I... be able to keep awake after all this?" The shadow asked themselves.