"And so this is why magic theorem may be a bit hard to comprehend, but just remember when..."
The substitute teacher on the podium chanted the words in the book robotically, motioning towards the it and then to the board behind him.
Today was one of the very often days that Ms Lilia were gone, much to many students' dismay. When she had made the disclaimer at the beginning of the school year, not many paid attention to it, but oh how they wished they could turn back time and prepare.
Ms Lilia was gone so much to the point Viv began to wonder how such a person was still employed at Einsvul.
Some days they would get a good substitute like Professor Strong from next door or Ms Emile when she was free, but if they were unlucky some old man by the name of Mr Albert would sub in.
If Professor Strong's lectures were straight to the point and clear, Mr Albert's zig zagged through many different hoops, taking a different way each time to explain the same thing.
Rubbing his head, Viv sighed as he looked at his blank notebook.
If it were back in his old world, he could've excelled in anything as long as the teacher would be able to get a point across.
Now, he was so lost because there was no point to get across!
As the bell finally rang, marking the end of classes, Viv packed up his things, preparing to leave and head to the dorms quickly to take a nap.
"Hey."
Suddenly, a hand poked his shoulder, startling him as he swiftly turned back.
Before him, there was a strange and unknown upperclassman with a green head band around his head standing behind him, his eyes looking rather unfriendly as he held out a strange object in his hand.
"Elva sent me here to give you this."
It was Ezekiel, one of the upperclassman who had been fighting alongside Elva during the emergency, and nowadays they had even somewhat gotten on talking terms.
But of course, Viv didn't know this as he raised an eyebrow, looking at the suspicious item in the dirty small bag.
"This is...?"
"Your pencil case." Ezekiel impatiently motioned his hand, wanting Viv to take it quickly so he could go.
"Oh...Thanks?" Viv took the sack, stuffing it half heartedly into his bag, as he felt a strange sense of awkwardness take over. How long had it been since he had willingly talked to someone at Einsvul that wasn't Elva or a video game target?
Now facing a true extra, Viv wondered if he should do anything else or just leave.
However, he didn't need to debate for too long as Ezekiel abruptly turned around, and waltzed away.
Huh...since when did Elva have friends?
Thinking to himself absentmindedly, Viv hummed and went back to the dorms.
—-
"Ah, you delivered it? Thanks!"
Elva grinned, wiping the sweat from his brow as he struck the straw dummy once again with a strong, blunt force.
"No need for thanks, I owe you." The corners of Ezekiel's mouth curled slightly, as he shook his head.
Elva had gotten a bad first impression from Ezekiel during the emergency, but it was Ezekiel who surprisingly came forward and apologized if he came across badly.
It turns out he was just really bad at conducting himself, making people think he had a sour personality. Much to Ezekiel's dismay.
Once the misunderstanding was cleared, Elva and Ezekiel went to talking, with Elva getting coaching from an upperclassman as a result.
Nowadays, the boys were often seen hanging with each other after class whenever there was free time, getting along quite well.
It was great news for Elva, as he seemed to get along if not better with Ezekiel compared to his other same age friends.
"Hm, so what did you think of him?"
Elva took a break, pouring a cup of water over himself. "What was your impression of the top scorer?"
Ezekiel paused, his face stiffening to avoid any strange faces, but a dark light swirled within his eyes.
"...Troublesome."
"Haha! You thought so too!?" Elva seemed to relish in the newfound knowledge of someone else thinking the same of that handful. He could already imagine the fun things he was going to discuss with his new pal.
Ezekiel nodded, causing Elva to begin to prattle about other things, and the conversation subject started to shift again.
Inwardly, Ezekiel thought to himself that it would be too awkward to say he thought Elva's roommate gave off a strange annoying feeling. Like the first warning signs that came to someone when danger was near.
Even his own contracted spirit was hesitant to investigate from within his item, which was unusual for the annoying thing that liked to investigate every new person he came across.
In fact, some of the reason why he went to apologize to Elva was because the spirit seemed to really like the somewhat ordinary kid. It had a knack of finding good souls, unsullied by things, and was good at reading character.
Thats why it was surprisingly when such an ordinary kid was the roommate of the notorious first year top scorer, who beat the Crown Prince on the rankings.
All top students are strange...
Ezekiel thought silently, as he turned away from looking at the dorms.
——
"It seems your speculations were right, the material list you gave me has had some unknown sources buying many pounds of it."
Sid casually dropped this piece of information on Viv, who had just entered the building. Trailing behind was John, who let out a low whistle after hearing the news as well.
"...I see."
Still weary from last time he visited, Viv just simply nodded, the mask a little loose around his face, causing him to frown as he adjusted it.
"...John, fix the magic on that mask."
Sid didn't miss this slight detail, sighing as he went back to writing something on a stack a papers. Even when his eyes were glued to the papers, Sid seemed to be able to watch anything.
Without missing a beat, John expertly leaned down to Viv's face, holding out his hand.
"If you excuse me..."
Reaching out, John touched the mask with his hand, a faint puffy feeling behind felt on Viv's forehead as the grip the mask on him seemed to tighten.
Huh, how convenient.
Shaking his head, Viv felt pleased that he didn't need to keep readjusting the thing. It was also his first time seeing John openly using magic, if he didn't count the suspicious first night he met John.
"Sit down, I have a job for you little monster."
Sid beckoned Viv to sit at the couch, not even bothering to look up from his mountain of work. It seemed getting involved with something so risky made for a lot of preparation. "Our side can't be the only one doing the work."
Already...?
Holding the urge to sigh, Vivillian felt nervous, not expecting what his first job working in the black market to be.
Murdering, kidnapping, ransoming...
All these scary ideas drifted in and out of Viv's brain. Inwardly he was prepared to decline if it was something especially dark like organ harvesting.
"...I feel like you are thinking some rather untrue things."
Sid paused, as he felt a strange current in his intuition, and his hand finally stopped writing on the papers. "As if we would send you of all people to do things like that. We usually like to keep our business hidden, you see."
"..."
Hey...it wasn't that obvious, was it?
Pushing back the gathering heat on his face, Viv cleared his nervous throat.
"So what do you have in mind?"
"Nothing much, just delivering some stuff."
Sid added abstractly. "You seem to be naturally inclined for sneaking into places anyway, and the location I want you to go to would make more sense if a child visited in order not to increase suspicion."
"...I see."
He was totally becoming a drug mule, wasn't he?
"Urgh, I feel my gut starting to hurt every time I talk to you." Shivering, Sid gave a somewhat astounded look at Viv. "We won't send you to do anything unrelated to the deal we made, so just do it without all this weariness. Aren't we business partners, after all?"
"...Alright."
What the hell, what's wrong with this kid's gut?
Wondering what sort of super probiotic Sid must have eaten to have such a scarily accurate gut, Viv quickly pushed aside the strange thoughts in his head away as he saw a neat envelope being put on the table.
"Your job is easy, just go to this location marked on the map, and knock on the door. Then, ask for a man named Krattel."
The white haired boy motioned at the wax seal. "If you get caught, immediately use your thumb to break the seal, it'll activate a magic to discreetly burn it up."
Before Vivillian could answer, a professional smile appeared on Sid's face as he handed the letter over like a treat to a small pet.
"Don't disappoint me, little monster."
No sooner did these words leave Sid's mouth, did the door shut in front of Viv's face, closing him off to the lit study, and into the cold darkness of the sketchy alley.
"...Tsk."
Only these guys dared to treat me like this...
—-
"This seems like the place..."
Viv muttered to himself, frowning as he looked at the map, and description.
"Has 3 windows on the third floor? Check. Has an arch gateway? Check. Beautiful botanical guardian? ...Questionable, but check."
Peering at the slightly eerie plants behind the big building, Viv looked around to make sure no one was watching, before raising his hand and knocking on the door.
Clank Clank
The wooden door creaked with each knock, and soon Viv could hear small footsteps running toward the door.
"Hello? State your business..."
A little face peeked out from beneath the door crack, a child much younger than Viv looked slightly fearful at his appearance, but his round black eyes shimmered in curiosity.
"I'm here to meet Krattel."
"O-Oh, you're here to meet with Pastor..." The child stuttered a little, as he closed the door and ran to call an adult.
"Pastor Krattel! A person says he's here to meet you!!"
The child's loud voice could be heard quite easily from within, a loud thud being heard from inside as well.
Soon, heavier footsteps came down what sounded like stairs, as a man opened the door, his gray eyes and hair looking rather tired.
His most distinct feature was a scar on his left eye, but it didn't seem his vision was too affected. Other than that, the man called Pastor Krattel just looked like an ordinary old man with stories to tell.
"I see that he has sent you." Krattel scanned Viv's appearance, his eyes lingering on the mask that failed to give him any information of Viv's face, as he opened the door. "I apologize for the kid earlier, come in."
"I'm just here to deliver the letter." Viv curtly tried to refuse, shaking his head.
"It'll be quick, I need to get my own response letter in my study as well."
Krattel gave off a similar impression to Professor Strong, a no nonsense sort of blunt approach to things.
"..."
Caving in, Viv still looked confused on what this large house was supposed to be, but the smell of homemade cooking and baking filled his senses. Along with the chatter of children being heard from around the house.
As he looked around, he saw a big hand carved sign hanging on the top of a door.
[Welcome to Cradle's Orphanage.]
Ah, no wonder Sid said it would be better for him to go.
Following Krattel upstairs, many children peeked at him through the cracks of the doors, or other various hiding places. It seems the appearance of visitors were unusual for the kids.
Going through a long corridor, Viv and Krattel finally stopped outside an open study, filled to the brim with books, and it even had its own fireplace, bringing warmth to the area. It was incredibly cozy, having its own calming feeling around the place.
Instead of candles, magic fueled lanterns lit the place, probably as a safety measure so the books wouldn't catch fire.
Just as Viv entered the study, he paused at the sight of an unexpected guest, sitting relaxedly on Krattel's desk, her arms crossed.
Dressed in a somewhat flashy yet elegant robe, a hooded woman wearing a long, intricate black skirt had her legs swinging idly, her arms tucked within themselves as her head tilted curiously at the sight of him.
Like Viv, she wore a masquerade mask with several grayish and silver feathers and jewels, and a pair of honey colored eyes pierced into him.
Hey...she kind of looks similar to-
"Don't be weary, she is a good friend of mine, and won't leak any business that she gets ahold of."
Krattel coughed, coming in and closing the door behind him as he took the letter from Viv's hand, reading through it quickly.
While he was doing this, the fireplace crackled and snapped, saving them from the awkward silence as the two masked individuals stared at each other, trying to see the other person's motives.
For some reason, an eerie sense of familiarity descended upon him every time he locked gazes with the mysterious woman.
Though he was faced with this strange situation, the warm and cozy feeling of the fireplace soon penetrated through his stiff cold robes, his eyes slightly blinking sleepily as Viv tried his best not to look too comfortable on the couch chair.
Other than the crackling of the fireplace along with pen and paper shuffling around, nothing else could be heard around.
By now, Krattel had already read the letter, not a change in his expression as he begun grabbing various things from his shelves, before stuffing them into a new envelope with a new wax seal.
"Apologies, it took a bit longer than expected."
Wiping his brow, Krattel handed the letter over to Viv.
"I'll take my leave now." Inwardly not wanting to leave such a comfortable spot, Viv got up from the chair, nodding his head as he grabbed the thick letter and stuffed it into his pocket.
"When you exit, go from the back door." Krattel sighed. "I feel the presence of something lurking tonight, so be sure not to stay out too long, and just deliver the letter to its owner safely."
In response, Viv nodded again, and walked out the study, closing the door slowly behind him.
"...One of BH's goons?"
Just as the door closed behind him with a thud, a strikingly familiar female voice spoke rather clearly.
It almost made Viv want to say a name that was on the tip of his tongue, but for some reason he couldn't remember where exactly who that voice belonged to.
Where have I heard that voice...
"Oh, hi older guy."
A boy interrupted his thoughts, it was the same one who had creaked the door open in the first place. The kid seemed to be around 8-9, with freckles covering all over his ordinary face. His eyes were unsurprised to see him coming from the study, as the boy seemed to be observing him.
Older guy? Is he calling me that?
However Viv didn't even need to look around to confirm that he was in fact the target of the kid's words, as the boy smiled.
"I heard everything, I'll show you to the back door!"
Without wasting a moment to listen to Viv's response, the kid ran through the dimly lit corridor and somewhere downstairs.
"..."
This entire building was strange.
Taking one last look back, Viv stared at the closed study's door before following behind the kid. Maybe in the future he'll visit again, and see that mysterious woman who seemed so oddly familiar.
...
Taking Krattel's words into consideration, Viv quickly made his way back, blending into the small alleyways and tunnels accessible only to nimble bodies as he used the map to guide him back.
He wasn't sure if he was just feeling influenced from Krattel's words, but the feeling of danger lurked by, and the night seemed eerily quieter than usual.
It feels like something animalistic is here...
Viv didn't know how to describe it as he frowned, turning his head back and forth to see his way back in the moonlight.
After flipping the map around for a while, he finally figured out a suitable course to take back, and he disappeared into the shadows of the night.
—-
Not long after Viv left, a big white beast let out a low growl, jumping down from a high rooftop, and landing without a sound onto the dirty street below.
Looking closely, it wasn't an actual beast, but it was the body of a huge beastman.
Dressed in a suit that seemed to threaten to break from the bulging muscles underneath, a striped white tiger's tail waved behind him slowly.
"Jumping around all these buildings are annoying..."
It was vastly different from the secluded icy mountains that the man had come from, but he was here for business, not for personal pleasure anyways.
The man growled under his breath, raising his nose to sniff at the certain waft in the air.
"It's definitely one of Black Hydra's..."
He cursed, kicking a trash can albeit too roughly, causing it to clatter noisily on the floor. There was also a noticeable dent in the metal that made up the trashcan on the side.
"..."
Looking around quickly, the man suddenly leaped forward and tried to kick the trashcan back into shape with the precision of a brute.
By the time the man was done, the poor trashcan seemed even more depressed, with several new dents that had formed on it.
"Ahem, anyways, damn those dirty snakes...!"
The man went back to cursing, raising his fists. "If it weren't for them poisoning a member at the banquet and running, the Family wouldn't be calling me here like this..."
Carefully taking out a glass ornament from his pocket, the man stroked it sadly.
"Oh my beloved daughter...Papa will come back soon after taking care of business..."