After Professor Eukla left the room, I also left to go back to my class; however, seeing the time, the class has been already over for hours. That means I missed a few of them.
"Damn it... There goes my attendance."
I clench my fist. Obviously, it healed, but it felt odd because I can still feel the numbness and the burning sensation from the cloth. "Weird..."
While I'm walking peacefully back to my dorm room. I sensed someone tailing me from behind. Looking behind, I saw a well-distinguished man with glasses walking toward me with a friendly smile on his face. As soon he got closer, he reach his hand forward. "Can I talk to you for a second? I'm a third-year student from Class-A, Keris Lykaios. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too. I'm Claude Weiss, a first-year student from Class-F, how may I help you?" I narrowed my eyes, observing his facial movements. Then I noticed his unusualness. Because of that, I raised my guard up and prepared myself in case he attempts to make a move.
(He's acting weird, Claude. Be on alert.) Diana warned me.
"I know who you are. Everyone does."
"Everyone?"
"You're the talk of the town, come on."
"Really? I haven't done anything particular lately."
"Come on~ You're an impressive person. I've heard stories about you, that's why I'm here because I want to confirm all of it with my eyes. I'm satisfied with what I saw. You're really impressive. You're practically perfect!" He releases my hand abruptly and walks past me.
(Claude, restrain him!)
I looked at my hands. Then suddenly, I heard Diana's voice. At that moment, I teleport behind Keris' back and slam his head on the concrete ground. I have my cold, glaring eyes on him. "Oi, do you really think you can get away with that?"
Because at the hand that he shook, he cast a spell secretly in my hand because there's a black pentagram hidden deep within my skin that's invisible in the naked eye. Diana manages to repress the curse magic that he cast in my hand, but it would take a while. I don't know how why he has it and why he cast it on me, but I know for a fact, it's not something to overlook. Curses are serious matters that needed to deal with from Master Irene's warnings.
"What's going on?"
"A fight?"
Students around us are causing a commotion which I ignore. I tighten my grip at the back of Keris' head. "Aaaaaaaaah!" Keris screamed in agony, causing further disturbance to the surrounding.
"Oi, answer me," I said coldly.
Keris turns his head around looks me in the eyes and said. "Be an obstacle." He smirks before he shuts his eyes off.
"Huh?!"
"Hey!" A scream alarmed me.
I pull my hand out of his shoulder to block the incoming punch to my face. Glancing at the person, a woman appears in my sight with a surprised look on her face as I caught her fist nonchalantly. Instantly, I punch her in the torso, sending her flying in a light pole.
"Too many people... I didn't notice them at all..." I muttered.
I wrapped the man below me in chains. However, as soon as I was about to use [Shifting Point] away and rethink my next course of action, the woman who attacked me earlier rushed to me with a vengeful look plastered all over her face. As she rushed to me, she summoned hatchets in both of her hands. She then threw one straight to my face, but I fend it off with a spear in my left hand.
In my mind, I was confused as to why she was attacking, but then I remember the person below me. From others' perspectives, I'm certainly the aggressor.
As I was recollecting my thoughts, another hatchet was thrown into my face, so I fend it once again; however, she was already close to my face, taking me by surprise. The hatchets that I fend off earlier return to her hands then swing her arm upward, but I dodge it effortlessly by taking a few steps back. I pulled the body of Keris closer to me and I carried him over my shoulder.
"You will be put into sanction." She coldly said.
I didn't respond to her. My thoughts are in disarray as to why I'm having trouble locating a spot to teleport on. Then to my left, another man aggressively charges at me with an intention of crashing every bone in my body with his bulky large body. I evaded his enormous bulldozing body by jumping in the air.
"I need to get my shit together."
While in the air, arrows are flying toward me. I deflected all of them.
[Walpurgis Hollow]
After that, the woman's hatchet was flying toward me again. To evade it, I cleansed my mind and focused my eyes on the tree branch. However, I missed the branch completely and fell to the ground. "Argh, screw this. This is harder when I'm only using one hand. Tsuki."
In my unoccupied right hand, Tsuki transformed herself into a katana. Then I jumped again to cut the branches and kick them into the woman and the bulky man—it's not effective than what I imagined, but I still did it nonetheless. While doing so, I'm tracking the mana of the person who sent those arrows to me.
"Where are you at?" I'm scanning every crooked spot in the surrounding. Then once I noticed his presence at the distance, I smirked. "Got you."
I point my fingers and shut my left eye. In front of me, a spear materialized and launched in the direction of the archer. Unexpectedly, a new person joined the battle and blocked it. "Tch, another one? This is bad. I'm like a fugitive on the run."
At this point, my only objective is to swiftly leave before the fight escalates because the number of people who are chasing me kept adding as the fight continues. So, I kept teleporting straight without looking back until I wasn't able to sense their presence. After deeming that the surrounding is safe, I toss Keris' body in the branch.
"Tsk... I got into trouble because of you. What do I do with him?" I glance at Keris' unconscious body hanging on the tree branch.
I crouch down. "Oi, wake up. What did you mean by 'Be an obstacle'? Oi, answer me."
I kept waking him up, but no matter how many times I tried to wake him up even slapping him—he's not waking up at all. So, I got worried for a second and checked his pulse whether he was still alive or not. "Thank god... You almost made my heart skip a beat. Tch, I need to use that favor this early on. I really hate meeting that guy, but I don't have a choice."
I carried Keris and teleported a few times toward my destination, inside of the headmaster's office. Inside of it, Headmaster Winster was soundly asleep on the floor. I flick him in the forehead.
"Aaaaah! That hurts! Wifey! I'm totally doing my job! Oh... It's only you... What are you doing here? How did you get in? I swear to heaven, I locked the door." Headmaster Winster screams before turning into a disappointment upon knowing it was me who woke him up. His scream almost tore my eardrums out.
"I entered like a normal person," I said straightforwardly.
"No way. I'm not going senile, am I? Wait, you're lying—Gasp—You're a pervert, aren't you? Do you have a fetish for watching someone's sleeping face?"
"I hate talking to you."
"I bet you do, but deep down, you love hearing my voice. It's understandable. So, what can I help you with? And what's with the guy behind you? Did you murder someone?" He said in a calm manner.
"Seriously...?"
"Hm? He looks dead, you can't blame me for having an assumption."
"Really? He looks alive and well, look."
"Yeah... Something's wrong with your eyes, son. You know, if I were a normal headmaster I wouldn't be having this conversation with you because I wouldn't have second thoughts on restraining you and send getting you to prison for harming a student. But as a kind, understanding headmaster I shall hear your side and don't make any assumptions. Aren't I great?"
"That's the most decent thing you've ever said."
"Oh, my pleasure."
'Not really a compliment...' I inwardly cringed. "Well, he came out of nowhere and introduced himself before slipping this thing." I showed him the fading pentagram on the back of my hand without giving a thought on whether he could see them or not.
Instead of taking this matter seriously, Headmaster Winster laughs it off. "Hahahaha! Did you piss this guy off for him to give you mid-tier curse magic?"
"Me? Heck, I don't even know this guy. Moreover, no one approaches me."
"Because you're creepy."
"Me?"
"Who else? You're the only creepy one in here."
"Okay, that hurts... Especially... Coming from your mouth. I know that. People that are sensitive to mana or have the grasp of understanding of mana are scared of me. It's been like that... Always has been... The only people who get close to me are either naive or brave."
"You're a pretty straightforward and honest kid. I admire that. Keep that attitude and surely, you will have friends... Eventually... Hahahaha..." Headmaster Winters burst into laughter. "... I can't! Why am I surrounded by loners?! Hahahahaha!"
Veins are popping out of my forehead. I grit my teeth in anger. Deep inside me, I had this urge to punch him in the face. "For your information, I have friends."
"Yeah, you do. Hah... I'll stop laughing at your misery. That's a good laugh, honestly."
"Oi! Don't mock me!"
"Anyway, let me take a look at it." He pulls my hand to his face. "Hmm... It's not in effect anymore... Did you already get rid of it?"
"Wait, I just realized, you can see them?"
"I'm the headmaster, duh. I can see them even my eyes are closed." Headmaster Winster narrows his eyes on the pentagram going back and forth on it and to my face. He began laughing again, but now, like a madman. "Hahahaha! You dispelled it?"
"Y-Yeah...?"
"Marvelous! Perfect score!"
Curses can't be dispelled by mere magic without divinity involved because in simple terms they cancel each other out—or let the caster retract it. After exploring my body and understanding quintessence, I found that divinity and quintessence are far different from each other.
At first, I thought I could produce them also since quintessence is a pure form of mana. Curses and divinity are just evolved forms of mana in this world. To put it simply, a mutated version of mana. Quintessence, on the other hand, it's a pure form of mana. There's no evil or good on it, unlike what curses and divinity were portrayed to be.
"So did this kid give it to you?"
"Why do you think he's beaten up? I've got one question. Demons live in seclusion in this continent... Looking at this... This guy is clearly not a demon. And doesn't possess a curse in his body..."
Headmaster smiles. "Why? Do you have a problem with them? Furthermore, curses are not limited to demons. Anyone can acquire it. It's easier to acquire than divinity."
"Really?"
"Of course. However, I don't recommend doing it. Anyway, guessing your arrival here. You wanted me to take care of this kid?"
"Of course. I'm a troubled student, so why wouldn't I go to my dear headmaster to seek help? I only wanted to let this incident slide. I got into trouble with some students earlier who tried to capture me and something about the sanction."
"Okay, that's one favor granted. What a waste of favor. Also, you're quite lucky to not be caught by them, or you would have a hard time. This is why I'm against the favors, sooner or later, this little trouble of yours will evolve next time. And after that, the unthinkable will happen."
"Uh, thank you. And stop exaggerating." 'Wait a minute... I think I have five favors, right? I don't think this is a waste since a guy just attacked me out of nowhere and I'm pretty sure I will be under some sort of suspension if I don't do this. Next time, I will teleport someone else without any people watching. Tsk. Why am I getting attacked by a mentally deranged person out of nowhere? And where did he get his curse? Or how was he able to cast it?'
"So what do you want me to do with him?"
"I don't know? Do you guys have any hospital that specializes in people like him? I think he's crazy."
"What's your meaning of crazy?"
"What?"
"Nevermind. I'll just appoint someone to investigate this kid."
"Sometimes, I think that you're not the real headmaster of this academy. You look like a homeless man that was appointed by the real headmaster to act like one." I muttered.
"Now, go shoo~ Leave my office. You interrupted my sleep."
"You will do my favor right?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm a man of my words. I can handle minor things."
'You're too casual about curses...'
I led my feet to the massive door of his office. Opening the door slowly, Arya was waiting on the other side of the door with a smile on her face while holding a ton of paper in her arms.
"Arya? What are you doing here?"
"Oh, my entrusted vassal! I'm here to submit my application to build the foundation of the greatest faction! Drakon Faction! Or maybe even Arya Faction! I also have gotten Lily, Adelle, and the bunny girl to join me! And also, the Stephanie girl! Lily said to get her also. And then you! You're in the perfect place!" Arya points a finger at me.
"The bunny girl—?" Before I could even finish my sentence, Arya snatches my right hand and bit my thumb with her canine teeth.
"Ouch!" I yelled in pain.
Arya then pulls a paper, stomping my thumb on it or smudging the paper with my blood. And then Arya screams out loud. "All done! All the pieces are complete! Winster! It's completed!"
"Oh, Ms. Arya! That's great news. Give it to me and I shall stamp it with my approval. Hohoho~"
"Great! I also have the points to acquire the palace on the eastern side! Here!"
'What the heck is going in here?' I thought in confusion.
Arya walks on top of Keris handing over the piles of paper in her arms. Afterward, she pulls out her card, hovering her finger on it. I, who's supposed to leave the place was left standing in front of the door, watching the two devils laughing at each other while conversing. Headmaster Winster went to his office, picking up an ink stamp and stamping the papers one by one. As he stamps it one by one, I'm getting mixed feelings from it. It felt like I was about to be dragged into hell.
After finishing their talk, Headmaster Winster winks at me. "Enjoy."
Arya was overjoyed, as she hops around like a child who had gotten a new toy. Afterward, she approaches me and drags me away with a smile. "Let's go! Let's check the place!"
"Huh?"