"This is waaay too early. What is this, some sort of military school?"
"I think that's what it's supposed to be."
With baggy eyes, Ashley walked groggily beside Garett as the two headed along a pathway.
The two wore high class uniforms which had been given to them before the entrance ceremony, and currently the sun had not even peeked out of the horizon.
"So they throw us into garbage dorms and yet they give us these fancy clothes to wear. Which one is it? Do they want to be prestigious or do they want us to live like trash? And it starts at 6 am? What idiot made that rule? If Apathia were here she'd probably get Gormand to kill that person.", Ashley slurred.
"You get along with her pretty well.", Garett stated with a light grin.
"Ah, yeah. I kinda understand her. I took a look at her memories as well.... mmm...."
Ashley looked at the ground with disgust as she recalled the things she saw.
"She never really did anything wrong, but got punished a whole lot. If the people who owned her were still alive then I might have tortured them myself."
"Is that so?"
"Hehe.... yes."
The two eventually came across the school grounds. The school was set up such that the center of campus was where all the administrative buildings, auditoriums, and stadiums were located. Outside this central ring was the classroom area, where lecture halls and classroom buildings could be found. In the outermost ring of campus was the housing sector.
"It really is weird to be alone together. It's like..... well, I guess it's just strange. It throws me off.", Garett noted.
"Yeah, I guess so.", Ashley agreed.
Continuing to walk, the two made their way through the campus, eventually coming across a classroom building and entering.
"Ah, are you going to do anything crazy today?"
"I think I'll just relax. Somehow I feel that doing nothing will make that instructor go mad all on his own."
The baggy eyes of the creepy girl, whose hair was currently white as a result of her elven disguise, thinned with delight.
Her lips wrapped upwards, forming a crooked smile.
"It's the people who are the most orderly who break down the moment a single screw is taken out of place."
Entering the building, the two begun to laugh together.
Without care for those around them, they had entered a society which by all means they should not have been a part of.
They stood out. They were clearly anomalies. Yet there was no way for those around them to understand exactly who they were.
They were demon lords.
Thus began the schooling of the antiheroes.
----
Gathered in a small classroom, 15 students awaited the arrival of their instructor.
"I couldn't sleep at all last night...."
"The dorms suck. I guess people with more points would get a higher quality dorm, but right now it's gonna be really hard to get a good night's rest...."
"My hair is such a mess...."
Samantha overheard the gossip of a few girls beside her, to which she merely smiled.
'Ah. I remember when I once was so concerned with such things. How painful of a life it was, trying to be perfect all the time.'
Samantha felt that if she wanted to include herself in the conversation that she wouldn't have a problem doing so, yet she also felt as if there was no need to do so.
'I suppose I'll take the untouchable stance.'
Thus, Samantha obtained the glares of many, though not out of spite or even jealousy, but rather out of an internal feeling of inferiority which she inspired in others simply by existing.
Just seeing Samantha sitting there was enough to make the students around her understand their own shortcomings regarding classiness, looks, and demeanor.
As she watched the girls glance towards her, the lips of this demon who now took the form of a gorgeous elf curled upwards, ever so slightly.
'At the very least, coming to this place has been entertaining. I am glad that I will at least be able to see the insects I will eventually destroy.'
"Um, excuse me.... may I ask your name?"
An innocent looking girl approached Samantha with a bright smile, holding her hands behind her back nervously.
The pureness within this girl reminded Samantha of a certain demonic queen, though before she had been corrupted by her own hatred for the Indeterminant.
'It's somewhat disgusting. Innocence, that is.', Samantha thought.
"My name? Is that something I should give away so readily? How about no."
The girl flinched back at the response, her mouth opening slightly as she was unsure how to respond to the clearly unfriendly statement.
"Um, well..... you know! I was just thinking maybe that was where to start when you meet someone for the first time. And you're sitting alone over here, so I thought that maybe you'd want someone to talk to-"
"You're annoying. Please leave my sight."
With the wave of her hand, Samantha shooed the girl, who was taken aback in shock at her unfriendly response.
"I.... I'm sorry. I'll leave you alone."
Samantha watched as the girl walked off, and smiled lightly.
'Ah, what the hell.'
"Sarah."
"Eh?"
The girl turned around after Samantha made the statement, and quickly realized what she had said.
"Sarah..... I'm Natalia! It's nice to meet you!"
The girl quickly became excited, sitting down in a desk next to Samantha.
"I know that there are a lot of bad rumors about this place.... about what might happen to you if you lose too many points..... and stuff like that..... but I think that if we work hard, that we should be able to make it out alright!"
"You're excessively talkative. And you sat right next to me? Do I appear so friendly to you?"
Glancing over with a single eye, Samantha blatantly insulted the girl.
"Mmm..... I guess you seem a bit unapproachable..... but I get the feeling that there's a good reason for that. Are you trying to stay away from people?"
Looking at the girl with light surprise, Samantha merely found herself sighing.
"You could say that."
"You certainly are making friendly with our classmates. Not that that's a bad thing, mind you."
Approaching the two from behind, Trevor walked up, speaking to Samantha.
"Ah, hello! I'm Natalia! What's your name?"
"Theo.", Trevor immediately replied with a friendly yet deceptive grin as he took a seat behind the two.
"Ah, you were with each other at the entrance ceremony, right? Um... I know this might be a bit insensitive of me to ask, but why weren't you with your parents? Did they....."
The girl looked down with a sad expression as she stumbled on her words, unsure whether she should say them or not.
"Did your parents not care about seeing you off at all?"
The question which the girl asked completely lacked any sense of class or respect, ignoring the privacy of the people she spoke with, though she didn't appear to mean any harm.
Rather, she appeared saddened just thinking about it.
"That is exactly the case. My parents never held any love for me, and threw me out of the house even from a young age.", Trevor responded immediately. "It was in a moment of despair and uncertainty which I was forced to collaborate with this woman and two others, who I am proud to now call my comrades."
Speaking with confidence, Trevor responded in a manner which was devoid of any lies, yet completely deceptive when it came to hiding the truth behind such statements.
"Each and every student here has been thrown aside by their parents. I think that in of itself is a reflector on the sad state of this society, wouldn't you say? That they would rather give their children to such a system than bother raising them on their own.... that children are viewed as such a burden in the first place..... it is more surprising that so many parents came to say goodbye to their children at all, no?"
Natalia's eyes went wide as Trevor made such a controversial statement which was so oddly lined with truth that her breath was taken away.
"I..... guess that's right, isn't it?"
"They wish to make us into adults, according to the principal. I find that very interesting, and am intrigued to see just what their version of an adult is. Although, I would have to say....."
Folding his hands, Trevor looked forth as two people stumbled in through the doors- a girl who had dark lines underneath her eyes, and the number [-28] floating above her head, and a male who walked with her casually.
"I am not very impressed by their methods thus far. After all, in order to make one into an adult.... one must be an adult in the first place, no?"
The two took their seats directly beside Samantha and Trevor respectively as Natalia looked to Trevor with a complete look of shock.
"What..... what do you think it means to be an adult?", she asked with pure interest.
"To be an adult? It is quite simple. You must be able to sit down with another person, to have a civil discussion with them, to listen to their side of the story, to consider their own opinions and situation, and to understand that you yourself are not the center of the universe. Unless you truly are, of course."
"I see....."
The girl seemed to be mulling on the words of Trevor, to which he continued.
"The instructor, based on what I witnessed of him the other day, is one who has no concern for the situation of others. He throws out deductions without reserve, punishes groups for the actions of one, and likely has never in his life considered anyone but himself. Furthermore, he fails to see the good in others, and even when he does he does not acknowledge it as worthy of reward. Instead, he states the merits of the person briefly before adding on his own point deductions. Is that what a mature adult would do? Haha....."
Fixing his own collar, Trevor sat up straight as he looked over to the two who had just taken their seats.
"Absolutely not. There are some people who claim to be adults, yet are truly just children in the bodies of adults."
"Don't tell me you're referring to me. Hehe...."
"No, you are a bit different. Ah, why don't you two introduce yourselves to our kind classmate here?"
Natalia was lightly surprised that the four got along so well, especially given the behavior of Ashley the previous day, but throwing her own preconceptions aside she smiled at the two.
"Hello! I'm Natalia! And you two are?"
"Ally."
"Gary."
Thus the two spoke their pseudo names, introducing themselves.
"You four seem so used to one another. How long have you all been together?"
"Hm..... it certainly seems like it's been a long time. But it's really only been a few months.", Garett stated.
"Hm? You aren't pissed for the stunt I pulled the other day like that kid who lost a ton of points? This isn't how I remembered people acting."
Ashley looked over to the girl who slumped her head nervously.
"Haha.... well I think everyone is a bit surprised at what you did... in the moment we were probably all really shocked and a bit mad, but....."
Looking around the room, Natalia took note of the many people who were currently talking with one another, forming their own friend groups and getting along without any issues.
Even the boy who had been angered yesterday was now joking around with the two people who he had been in competition with the other day. It was as if the conflict had never happened.
"I can't speak for anyone else, but I guess I kinda admire what you did. It would take a lot of courage to do something like that on the first day. You'll probably be punished pretty badly, but I think that maybe things won't be so bad if someone like you is around."
"Someone like me?"
Ashley thinned her eyes as she mumbled this statement, unsure what the girl meant.
"Someone who speaks their mind and doesn't care about what anyone thinks about them. That's something..... that I could never do. And I admire that."
On hearing the statement of Natalia, Ashley found herself laughing internally.
'Ah. She's an idiot. That isn't something to admire. That's something which will just land you in trouble under normal circumstances. It really would take a dumbass to pull something like that on the first day if they had everything staked on this school.'
With a horrid grin, Ashley turned away from the girl, her messy hair covering her demented expression.
'Lucky me. I get to redo school with no limitations. No need to care about grades or popularity. No need to even think about failure. Because all my chips are on a different table.'
----
As the door swung open dramatically, the chatter within the classroom ceased.
The time: 5:59 AM.
Stepping into the class was an elven man who had white hair which had been parted roughly 3/4 of the way, wearing a high class suit that was colored similarly to the uniforms which the students wore, mostly white with blue features.
Gazing around the classroom, this man whipped out a notepad, immediately jotting down notes as his eyes glanced around the room, landing on each student before he promptly placed the pad on his own desk.
"It would seem that everyone is present and on time. For that, I will not deduct any points from anyone. However, your hair is unkept, Ally. Minus 1."
As if harboring a grudge towards the girl, the man singled her out before all and her number changed from [-28] to [-29].
"Do be careful not to hit negative 30, for with each multiple of 10 the punishment which you receive will increase."
"The fact that it will even increase means you intend to keep me alive after today's detention, so I don't really see how bad it could be."
With a statement that far exceeded anything reasonable, the man known as Mr. Ronaldo could do nothing more than open his mouth in shock, unable to so much as perceive what the girl had just said.
Being punished at Yulen Academy was something which must be avoided at all costs.
All students attending this school understood this well.
The fact then that this girl could make such bold statements without a care could only mean that she truly did not fear such things.
'It is as if.... she does not fear even death.'
Blinking his eyes and coming to his senses, the elven man quickly responded to the statement.
"Once more speaking out of turn. Minus one."
And with that, the number on top of Ashley's head reached a score of [-30].
"There has never been a student in the history of this academy to reach such a low score in such a small amount of time. Reforming you is of my utmost priority, it would seem. However, worry not. No matter what it takes, I will mold you into a fine adult, and an able soldier."
The man then shifted gears, turning to the board as he begun the class.
"We are now on the clock as far as lecture time is concerned. Further interruptions will not be tolerated. If you speak out of turn one more time I will throw you out of this classroom myself."
Ashley merely rolled her eyes, however she said nothing more.
'Eh. I kinda wanna see what happens in this class so I guess I'll shut up.'
"Rolling of eyes. Minus 1."
[-31]
The man then stepped forward with a script, preparing to give a lecture.
"Now then..... as a representative of Yulen Academy, it is my duty and responsibility to ensure that you all are raised to become independent, quick witted, and able to read the mood- which one of you clearly cannot. However, this is all for the goal of molding you into fine soldiers who will serve this nation and our military. Can anyone tell me why exactly we train our soldiers with such high expectations?"
A young boy raised his hand, to which the man pointed to him.
"Yes, Griffen?"
"It is because of the humans, who have made many attempts at invasion throughout history. The humans have an inferiority complex towards the elves and dwarves. Unable to match the physical strength and crafting abilities of the dwarves, and unable to keep up with the magical prowess of the elves, they have led a number of attacks on our nation in order to obtain this power for themselves- at any cost."
"Exactly so. Well said. As of recent times, there has been no activity on our borders with the Ruthobold Kingdom or the Asarith Sultinate, however there have been many attacks on dwarven settlements in recent years, led by a specific group of ingrates. This is likely your end goal as our soldiers, to fight on this front. Can anyone tell me the name of the fiend who continuously attacks our dwarven brethren, going so far as to raze entire citadels, slaughtering the men and enslaving the women and children- including the elven soldiers who we have sent there?"
Looking around the class, the man was disappointed as nobody raised their hand.
"Nobody knows?", he asked with sharp tone.
"Larios, known as the Commander of Cruelty. Commander of the 4th Legion of the Empire, recently killed in battle as a result of a war between the Empire and the Ruthobold Kingdom- along with his entire unit. His killer is.... heh.... unknown."
Muttering this statement was none other than Ashley, the girl who held the least points within the entire class.
"You..... how would you know something like that? That information is confidential, and has just been released to-"
"How would I know indeed?"
With a smile, Ashley gazed into the man with a voracity which he couldn't understand.
A chill went down the spine of the instructor, and for a moment he felt as if he were dealing with something far beyond a mere student.
"A lucky guess, I suppose? My intuition is pretty good. Some people say that I'm always right."
'Lucky.... guess?'
'How.... no, there's no way she could just guess something so specific.'
'But how did she know that?'
'The reaction of the instructor confirms the truth of the statement.....'
'Who.... is that girl?'
Samantha listened in as the thoughts of her peers ventured into chaos and confusion.
"I.... suppose that answer is correct, therefore I won't deduct points...."
The teacher responded as such, far different from his previous demeanor.
Something had wrenched it's way into his own heart, causing him to flinch away from the question which lurked in the mind of every student present.
How did the girl know this?
The teacher did not realize it himself, but subconsciously he forced himself to forget this question.
This was a defensive mechanism which had been triggered without his knowledge.
For continuing to press such a line of questioning would inevitably lead to his own death.
"Very good. Larios. That is the name of the man who has caused more atrocities than any other in this modern era. Fortunately for us, he has now died.... yet this does not mean our battle to defend our border from the humans will cease. Others such as Larios may soon appear on our borders. And for that reason, I ask that each and every one of you prepare yourselves."
Thinning his eyes, the tone of the man became completely serious.
"War is not a game. And by entering this Academy, you will be prepared for nothing less than the hell that is war."